PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS SECTION
COMPLAINTS
PART V - POLICE SERVICES ACT
QUARTERLY REPORT FROM:	January 1, 2011
ENDING:	March 31, 2011
OVERVIEW
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) reports an overall decrease in the number of complaints received in the first quarter of 2011 when compared to the same period in 2010.  The following report will provide comparisons in specific complaint types over those reported in 2010.  The comparisons are an important way to track any emerging trends and to provide a glimpse at what types of complaints are being received.  The most valuable information is gleaned from the analysis of these statistics.  The impact of community trust in the OPS and the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) and the transparency of the OPS with respect to recent events, as well as media attention on the number of complaints received by the OPS is difficult to measure.  What is interesting is the rate of discipline required in response to those complaints.  The number of complaints where discipline was required in relation to officer conduct fell over last year.  The decrease in public complaints was made up of thirteen less conduct complaints and eight less chief's complaints over the same period in 2010.  There was a slight rise in the number of policy/service complaints but of the four complaints received the OIPRD closed two as frivolous or vexatious.  The statistics are charted by category and include cumulative numbers from the same period in 2010.
1.  NEW COMPLAINTS (This chart outlines the number of new complaints received compared to the same time period last year.)
NEW COMPLAINTS
	CURRENT QUARTER	CUMULATIVE CURRENT YEAR	CUMULATIVE PREVIOUS YEAR
Public Complaints (Conduct)	50	50	63
Internal Police Complaints (Chief's Complaints)	42	42	50
Public Complaints (Policy or Service)	4	4	0
TOTAL	96	96	113