The King County Office of Law Enforcement (OLEO) announced today that it has published a Community Guide to the King County Sheriff’s Office Complaint Process to help the public understand how complaints are handled by the Sheriff’s Office. OLEO regularly receives community member questions, concerns, and complaints related to law enforcement and has experienced a surge in inquiries over the past few weeks.

“The complaint process can be surprisingly complicated,” said OLEO Director Deborah Jacobs. “OLEO developed this guide to help complainants and the public at-large understand how the Sheriff’s Office reviews concerns raised by community, and OLEO’s role on behalf of the public.”

The publication provides graphic guidance to understand the routing and review of complaints, which come both from the public and from Sheriff’s Office personnel. It also highlights the role oversight plays in advocating for thorough, objective and timely investigations. 

The Community Guide to Sheriff’s Office Complaint Investigations can be downloaded here.

Learn more about OLEO and the complaint process here.

OLEO plans to partner with community-based organizations to share the guide, facilitate community education, and to translate the guide. The office also works with an on-demand phone translation service to ensure language isn’t a barrier to the complaint process, and notes that complaints can be filed anonymously by anyone – even if not directly involved in an incident.