Guidelines for Filing Misconduct Complaints
V. Other alternatives that are available:
If you are not satisfied with the findings or have additional information that is important to your complaint, please contact the Internal Affairs Commander within ten (10) days of the receipt of the internal affairs investigation results.
You may also contact the following:
Somerset County Prosecutors Office at 908-231-7100
NJ Division of Criminal Justice at 609-984-6500
or the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 973-792-3000
VI. Questions about internal affairs:
If you have any questions about Internal Affairs, Internal Affairs Investigators, or the Franklin Township Police Department, please feel free to call 732-873-2300 and ask for the Internal Affairs Commander.
DIAL 9-1-1 For Emergencies ONLY
Non-Emergency Matters- (732) 873-5533 or (732) 873-2300 or visit us at www.franklintwpnj.org/police
I. The goal of the Professional Standards Bureau:
The goal of the Internal Affairs is to ensure that the integrity of the Franklin Township Police Department is maintained through a system of internal discipline where fairness and justice are maintained by objective impartial investigation and review; and to serve the public trust, ensure fairness, and protect the rights of both citizens and police officers.
II. How to register a complaint:
The initiation of a misconduct complaint can be done online at Internal Affairs Complaint, in person, on the phone or through mail/email. Citizens are encouraged to submit their complaint in person and as soon as possible after the incident. The police supervisory staff are directed to accept all complaints of officer misconduct. Citizens may file complaints of officer misconduct Monday-Friday from 8am until 3 pm at the Internal Affairs Unit located at:
935 Hamilton Street
Somerset, New Jersey
08873-2796
The above location is not staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with Internal Affairs personnel. Outside of the above hours, complaints can be made via phone to (732) 873-2300 or at the Franklin Township Police Headquarters located at:
495 DeMott Lane
Somerset, New Jersey
08873-2796
III. How complaints are investigated:
To ensure an extremely thorough investigation, a Franklin Township Police Department Internal Affairs Investigator will contact you to ascertain all pertinent information relating to your complaint. Your information and statements will remain completely confidential. Statements will be tape recorded for proper documentation when feasible. The Internal Affairs Investigator will contact all witnesses and investigate all information regarding your complaint. The length of time
in an internal investigation will vary, depending on the complexity of the incident. Please feel free to speak with the Internal Affairs Investigator to check on the status of the investigation at any time.
IV. The results:
When an internal investigation is completed, the Internal Affairs Commander will notify you in writing of the appropriate disposition of the complaint. There are four possible findings:
1) Exonerated - The alleged incident did occur, but the actions of the officer were justified, legal, and proper.
2) Sustained - The investigation disclosed sufficient evidence to prove the allegation(s). A detailed report will be submitted to the Chief of Police for his review.
3) Not Sustained - The investigation failed to disclose sufficient evidence to clearly prove or disprove the allegation(s). The case will be closed, pending further information.
4) Unfounded - The alleged incident did not occur; or there is insufficient information to conduct a meaningful investigation. The case will be closed, and no further action will be taken.
Nonimmigrant Visa Status Certifications
An immigrant visa is issued to a person wishing to live permanently in the United States. A nonimmigrant visa is issued to a person with permanent residence outside the United States, but who wishes to remain in the United States on a temporary basis for a variety of reasons (ie: tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work or study, etc). There are two types of nonimmigrant visas that require the involvement of Law Enforcement, U-Visas and T-Visas.
- U-Visa: a nonimmigrant visa which is set aside for victims of crimes (and their immediate family members) who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse while in the United States and who are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. It permits such victims to enter or remain in the United States when they might not otherwise be able to do so.
- T-Visa: a nonimmigrant visa allowing certain victims of human trafficking (and their immediate family members) to remain and work temporarily in the United States, typically if they agree to assist law enforcement in prosecuting the perpetrators.
Individuals applying for either of these types of nonimmigrant visas must fill out the appropriate application through the United States Citizenship and Immigrations Service (USCIS).
U-Visa – Form I-918: https://www.uscis.gov/I-918
T-Visa – Form I-914: https://www.uscis.gov/I-914
Each of these applications have supplemental forms (I-918 Supplement B and I-914 Supplement B), also known as Certification Forms, which must be filled-out by the Law Enforcement agency which investigated/prosecuted the matter. Any request made to the Franklin Township Police Department to complete such a certification form must be made in-person at Police Headquarters. Applicants should follow the instructions on the above Web Site links, and bring all completed paperwork and necessary identification with them when they come to Police Headquarters.
