Office of Professional Standards

The Office of Professional Standards (OPS) is made up of several divisions within the West Point Police Department, each of which answers directly to the Chief of Police. OPS serves as the department’s gatekeeper of integrity, professionalism, and transparency. The office performs several key functions, including identifying areas of misunderstanding by complaining citizens, identifying employees whose attitude, behavior, and/or performance may require correction and supervisory intervention, protecting agency employees and the department from erroneous complaints, and identifying department policies, training, and/or practices that may need reevaluation, clarification, or correction. OPS maintains documentation of all complaints received and primarily investigates complaints involving serious employee misconduct. Minor complaints of employee on-duty misconduct are documented by OPS but are usually investigated by the employee’s ranking supervisor. The West Point Police Department investigates all complaints regardless of the manner in which they are received.

The West Point Police Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, physical disability (except where physical requirements constitute a bona fide occupational qualification), or natural origin. OPS is responsible for recruiting and vetting qualified candidates to fill both civilian and sworn positions within the department.

The West Point Police Department encourages public access and promotes transparency and trust by implementing policies and procedures that comply with the laws and guidelines of the Georgia Open Records Act. OPS services the public’s requests for information regarding the Police Department and its personnel; however, citizens should note that all Open Records requests must first be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) serves as the primary point of contact for disseminating information from the department to the media and the general public. The PIO reports directly to the Chief of Police or to the on-scene commander in the Chief’s absence. Responsibilities of the Public Information Officer include preparing written news releases for incidents of public interest, meeting with media personnel at the scene of high-profile incidents, responding to media and public inquiries, and publishing information about programs designed to strengthen relationships between the community and its police department.