Professional Standards

Sgt. ValentineProfessional Standards and Accreditation are supervised by Sergeant Steven Valentine. Sergeant Valentine is responsible for all matters related to policy compliance by members of the department. He is also responsible for the application screening for all applicants.

The Professional Standards Unit oversees applicant review, accreditation, and all matters related to internal affairs to include complaint processing and review.

The accreditation process is managed by Accreditation Manager Patrick Brown. He is responsible for all matters related to policy compliance by members of the department. He is also responsible for all accreditation mandates.

COMPLAINT PROCESSING...

Who may register a complaint?
A complaint may be made by any person against any member of the Department. Complaints must be made in person or through the Citizen Complaint Form which is available by calling the Professional Standards Unit at 813.506.6500. Anonymous complaints will be handled at the discretion of the Chief of Police. A complaint may be submitted to any member of the Police Department. Every complaint, regardless of its nature, is investigated.

Complaint Procedures: After receiving a complaint it will be assigned for investigation. Whenever possible, minor breaches of rules and regulations may be investigated by the employee’s immediate supervisor or assigned to the division commander of the accused employee’s division. All other complaints will be forwarded to the Professional Standards Unit.

What is Professional Standards UNIT?

One of the functions of the Professional Standards Unit is to protect the integrity of the Temple Terrace Police Department and its personnel, both sworn and non-sworn. A respectful relationship between the Police Department and the citizens it serves fostered by confidence and trust is essential to effective law enforcement. Police employees must be free to exercise their best judgment and to initiate action in a reasonable, lawful, impartial manner without fear of reprisal. At the same time, they must observe the rights of all people.

This system of complaint and disciplinary procedures not only subjects the employee to corrective action when they conduct themselves improperly but also protects them from unwarranted criticism when they discharge their duties properly.

Complaint Investigation Procedures:

Complaints are thoroughly investigated. A report is prepared which includes sworn statements from the complainant, the accused, and all witnesses. All records, videos, and audios are also included. The report will not reflect any personal opinion but rather present an objective picture of the circumstances as they actually occurred. The report will then be reviewed for a finding of fact.

There are five listed dispositions for complaint investigations:

  1. Sustained - The investigation disclosed sufficient evidence to clearly prove the allegation made in the complaint.
  2. Not Sustained - The investigation failed to disclose sufficient evidence to clearly prove the allegation made in the complaint, or to disprove conclusively such allegation.
  3. Unfounded - The investigation disclosed that the named employee was not involved in the alleged incident; the allegation was made in good faith, without malicious intent but the investigation disclosed that the allegation lacks a basis in fact; or the allegation is proven to be false.
  4. Exonerated - The facts that provided the basis for the complaint or allegation did occur, but the investigation revealed that they were justified, lawful and proper.
  5. Exonerated Due to Policy Failure - This is a finding that present policies, procedures, rules, and regulations do not adequately address the situation in question.

If you have any questions concerning the status of your complaint or about the finding, please contact the Professional Standards Unit, Monday through Friday, 8am-4pm at 813.506.6500.

Biased Based Profiling: 

From time to time, citizens become concerned about 'profiling' or 'bias-based' enforcement techniques. The Temple Terrace Police Department requires all officers to perform their duties in a bias-free manner.

Learn more about bias-free policing here.

Temple Terrace Police Department Review of Biased Policing for calendar year 2022

Temple Terrace Police Department Review of Biased Policing for calendar year 2021

Temple Terrace Police Department Review of Biased Policing for calendar year 2020

To obtain copies of the Department's previous Annual Reports, please contact the Professional Standards Unit at 813.506.6500.