Oceanside Police Department

OCEANSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Personnel Complaint Form

This form is for complaints regarding Police Department personnel only.  All Police service needs should be reported to 911 in case of emergency, or (760) 435-4900 non-emergency line. 

Other non-emergency issues can be reported to Customer Care at (760) 435-4500, or CustomerCare@oceansideca.org.  

MISSION STATEMENT

Our purpose is to work with the community to build trust and provide quality service that actively prevents crime, reduces the fear of crime, and promotes safety.

Public Safety members are entrusted with preserving the peace and protecting all persons and property. Trust is the cornerstone of our relationship with the community; we cannot accomplish our purpose without that trust. 

It is the policy of the Oceanside Police Department to accept and investigate all complaints of alleged misconduct on the part of any department member. The members of the Oceanside Police Department are held to a high professional standard imposed by both law and policy. Beyond this, I expect every member to treat others as they would expect to be treated under similar circumstances.

As the Chief of Police, I sincerely hope you will never need to use this process. However, you can be assured that we will objectively investigate your complaint, strive to find the truth, and take corrective action on any misconduct to preserve public trust. To promote accountability and objectivity, the City of Oceanside’s Standing Oversight Committee will review all civilian complaints for thoroughness, completeness, impartiality, and accuracy.

Kedrick Sadler

Chief of Police

If you have questions about the personnel complaint process or policy, please call the Professional Standards Unit at (760) 435-4455, or visit our website: www.oceansidepolice.com/transparency

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE A COMPLAINT AGAINST A POLICE OFFICER FOR ANY IMPROPER POLICE CONDUCT. CALIFORNIA LAW REQUIRES THE OCEANSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE A PROCEDURE TO INVESTIGATE CIVILIAN COMPLAINTS. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF THIS PROCEDURE. THE OCEANSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT MAY FIND AFTER INVESTIGATION THAT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO WARRANT ACTION ON YOUR COMPLAINT; EVEN IF THAT IS THE CASE, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE THE COMPLAINT AND HAVE IT INVESTIGATED IF YOU BELIEVE AN OFFICER BEHAVED IMPROPERLY. CIVILIAN COMPLAINTS AND ANY REPORTS OR FINDINGS RELATING TO COMPLAINTS MUST BE RETAINED BY THE OCEANSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS.

IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO MAKE A COMPLAINT THAT YOU KNOW TO BE FALSE. IF YOU MAKE A COMPLAINT AGAINST AN OFFICER KNOWING THAT IT IS FALSE, YOU CAN BE PROSECUTED ON A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE.