There shall be no retaliation against any employee for filing a harassment or discrimination complaint, or for assisting, testifying or participating in the investigation of such a complaint. The complaining party's confidentiality will be maintained throughout the investigatory process to the extent practical and appropriate under the circumstances. This policy does not preclude any employee from filing a complaint or grievance with an appropriate outside agency. D. Retaliation 1. Retaliation against any employee for filing a harassment or discrimination complaint, or for assisting, testifying or participating in the investigation of such a complaint, is illegal and is prohibited by this agency and by federal statutes.
Retaliation is a form of employee misconduct.
Any evidence of retaliation shall be considered a separate violation of this policy and shall be handled by the same complaint procedures established for harassment and discrimination complaints. Monitoring to ensure that retaliation does not occur is the responsibility of the chief executive officer, supervisors and the appropriate internal investigative authority. This project was supported by Grant No. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice. Every effort has been made by the IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center staff and advisory board to ensure that this model policy incorporates the most current information and contemporary professional judgment on this issue.