Information About Filing A Complaint

The Public Safety Citizen Review Board (PSCRB) serves in an advisory capacity to the Chief of Police, City Manager and City Council. The PSCRB also hears appeals from citizens regarding the decision of the Police Chief as to discipline for certain allegations of misconduct.

If you feel you have been treated unfairly by a Greenville Police Department (GPD) Police Officer, you may file a complaint about the incident. All complaints are sent to the Police Department's Professional Services Division (PSD) for investigation. The division is responsible for accepting, assigning and/or investigating all complaints of alleged misconduct against employees of the Greenville Police Department. The fundamental purpose of this division is to assure the protection of rights and fair treatment of the public while maintaining the integrity of the police department and its employees.

 You may submit your complaint:

  1. Online using the GPD or PSCRB complaint forms.
  2. By U.S. mail by filling out the printable GPD or PSCRB complaint forms to either the

    • GPD Professional Standards Division (PSD)
      4 McGee Street
      Greenville, SC 29601
      Or
    • Public Safety Citizen Review Board
      Staff Liaison and Secretary
      206 South Main Street, 2nd Floor
      Greenville, SC 29601
  4. In person by attending the public portion of the PSCRB meetings. Meetings are held quarterly the third Monday of the Month. View and or download a copy of the agenda for all meetings. Subscribe to receive agenda notifications by email or text.
    All citizens wanting to address the Board must sign-up to do so at the meeting or by advising the Staff Liaison in advance by calling 864-467-4535.
  5. In-person, 8 am to 5 pm, Mondays through Fridays, by visiting the GPD Professional Standards Division (PSD) at 4 McGee Street, Greenville.
  6. In-person by scheduling a meeting with the PSCRB staff liaison, by calling 864-467-4535.
  7. By calling from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays either the:
    • Professional Standards Division at 864-467-5510
    • PSCRB Staff Liaison at 864-467-4535.

Investigation of the Complaint

The PSD thoroughly investigates all complaints by looking at all the evidence. View Internal Affairs Investigation General Order (PDF)

Every complaint will be investigated by GPD governed by 36 Rules of Conduct (PDF), divided between lower level and more serious allegations. Lower-level allegations are investigated and adjudicated by the employee's chain of command (direct supervisors). More serious allegations are investigated by Internal Affairs staff and adjudicated by an independent chain of command (supervisors who do not work directly with the employee).

When making a decision about corrective action for an allegation of misconduct, GPD supervisors will consider the GPD's disciplinary philosophy (PDF), including the employee's motivation, degree of harm, employee's experience, intentional/unintentional errors, and the employee's past performance history.

Professional Standards, upon completion of a thorough and impartial investigation of each complaint, will make one of the following dispositions based on the findings of that investigation:

  • Unfounded: the allegation is false and the alleged incident did not occur
  • Exonerated: the incident in question occurred, but the employee's actions were reasonable, lawful and proper
  • Not Sustained: the investigation did not disclose sufficient evidence to prove or to disprove the allegation
  • Sustained: the allegation is proven by sufficient evidence

Upon conclusion of its investigation, Internal Affairs will notify all complainants in writing of the disposition of the complaint. Internal Affairs will also provide a summary of its determination to the PSCRB.

Notification of Citizen 

Notification to the citizen also includes instructions on how to appeal the decision to the PSCRB. If you are not satisfied with the results of a PSD investigation, a resident can request an appeal hearing with the PSCRB Staff Liaison and Secretary.

View the Complaint and Appeal Process (PDF)

Citizen Appeal to PSCRB 

The PSCRB's Staff Liaison and Secretary will coordinate with you, the Police Department and the PSCRB to schedule the hearing. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the PSCRB, based on the greater weight of the evidence, will vote if it will uphold GPD's disciplinary decision or not. The PSCRB Staff Liaison and Secretary, on behalf of the PSCRB, will prepare and submit a summary hearing report to the City Manager reflecting the PSCRB's recommendation. 

City Manager Review of PSCRB Recommendation and Final Disposition

The City Manager will review the report and any supporting documentation and render a final decision. The Staff Liaison to the PSCRB will communicate that decision to all parties and the case will be closed.