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Internal Affairs Unit

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The Internal Affairs Unit of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office operates in accordance with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General’s Guidelines on Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures.  The purpose of the internal affairs function is to establish a mechanism for the receipt, investigation, and resolution of complaints involving officer misconduct.

The Somerset County Sheriff's Office Internal Affairs Unit accepts and documents all citizen complaints against law enforcement personnel employed within Somerset County as well as all citizen complaints made against investigative staff, legal staff and support staff within the Somerset County Sheriff's Office.  All persons who wish to file a complaint may do so, regardless of the hour or the day of the week. The Somerset County Sheriff's Office assures the people of Somerset County that all complaints of alleged police misconduct are properly handled.  Investigators conducting the investigation of any allegation of misconduct shall strive to conduct a thorough and objective investigation respecting the rights of the principal, any other law enforcement officer, and all members of the public.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Internal Affairs Unit

  • The Internal Affairs Unit is responsible for investigating all allegations of misconduct made by ANY member of the public and will review the adjudication of minor complaints handled by supervisors. 
  • The Internal Affairs Unit shall receive notice of:
    • (a) Any firearm discharge by agency personnel, whether on-duty or off-duty, unless the discharge occurred during the course of:
      • (1) a law enforcement training exercise;
      • (2) routine target practice at a firing range;
      • (3) a lawful animal hunt; or
      • (4) the humane killing of an injured animal;
    • (b) Any discharge of an agency-owned firearm by anyone other than agency personnel;
    • (c) Any use of force by agency personnel that results in injury to any person,
    • (d) Any vehicular pursuit involving agency personnel; and
    • (e) Any collision involving agency-owned vehicles.
  • The Internal Affairs Unit has an obligation to investigate or review any allegation of employee misconduct that is a potential violation of an AG Directive or Guideline, a Directive issued by a County Prosecutor in that jurisdiction, the agency's rules and regulations, or any allegation that indicates the employee is unable, unwilling or unfit to perform their duties. The obligation to investigate includes not only acts of misconduct that are alleged to have occurred while the subject officer was on-duty, but also acts of misconduct that are alleged to have occurred outside the employing agency's jurisdiction or while the subject officer was off-duty.
  • The Internal Affairs Unit may conduct an internal investigation on its own initiative or upon notice to or at the direction of the law enforcement executive or the internal affairs supervisor. Internal affairs may refer investigations to the employee's supervisor for action as permitted by agency policy and procedures.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs Unit is comprised of two captains, one lieutenant, and two sergeants. 

How to Submit a Complaint

  • By Phone:  Please contact the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office at 908-231-7140 and ask to speak with someone in the Internal Affairs Unit.
  • By Mail:  Complaints Forms should be mailed to:
              Somerset County Sheriff’s Office
              P.O. Box 3000
              20 Grove Street
              Somerville, NJ 08876
              Attn: Internal Affairs Unit

The Civilian Complaint Information Sheet details the internal affairs process.  The State of New Jersey Office of the Attorney General website provides the Civilian Complaint Information Sheet and the Internal Affairs Report Form in 11 different languages.  The website also allows you to access Major Discipline Reports and the Internal Affairs Dashboard for all law enforcement agencies in the State of New Jersey.

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