§ 31-21.2-8. Complaint procedures. (a) Each state and municipal law enforcement agency shall establish a procedure to investigate complaints of police misconduct by members of the public against personnel of these agencies, and shall make a written description of the procedure available to the public. Copies of any departmental complaint forms shall be available in at least one governmental location other than the police department. The procedure and forms shall also be made available on any website of a law enforcement agency.

(b) At a minimum, complaints shall be accepted in person by mail or by facsimile.

(c) Information on the complaints received by each law enforcement agency shall be compiled on an annual basis by the state police and each municipal law enforcement agency and published in each agency's annual report and/or on its website. The information compiled by each department shall include the total number of complaints received from the public, a breakdown by category of the type of complaint, and a further breakdown by category of the disposition of the complaints.

(d) The state police and all municipal law enforcement agencies shall make available as a public record subject to the access to public records act, § 38-2-2(4)(D), law enforcement exemptions:

(1) Copies of any formal or informal arrangements between the state police or a municipal law enforcement agency and the bureau of immigration and customs enforcement/homeland security investigations concerning the questioning, detention, investigation, arrest, apprehension, stopping, referral or processing of individuals within the state of Rhode Island, including copies of any agreements entered into pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1357(g); and

(2) Any policies or procedures governing the circumstances under which an inquiry to federal authorities is made to determine a person's immigration status.

History of Section. (P.L. 2004, ch. 331, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 356, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 214, § 2; P.L. 2015, ch. 235, § 2.)