Even with the recent controversies surrounding several police departments across the nation, local law enforcement officers said they do not believe the reported police misconduct adversely affects their ability to do their jobs effectively.

The recent acquittal of four New York police officers in the shooting death of Bronx resident Amadou Diallo, the FBI investigation of the Los Angeles Police Department and Monday’s conviction of three New York officers for covering up the sexual assault of Abner Louima all have sparked discussion.

Jerry Stewart, associate director of the ISU Department of Public Safety, said he thought a level of trust has been established in Ames between police officers and the public.

“I hope citizens look to this community and its history and not nationally,” Stewart said.

Capt. Gary Foster, public information officer for the Story County Sheriff’s Office, said the intensified scrutiny of the New York and Los Angeles Police Departments has driven officers to actually make their investigations more thorough.

“There have been a number of highly publicized cases in the media in recent years which have made it necessary [for] law enforcement to do the best possible job of investigation in order to ensure successful prosecution of cases,” Foster said.

Stewart said DPS is open with its complaint procedures and posts them in the lobby of each division and on its Web site. He said he is instructed in advising employees who have received either an internal affairs or criminal complaint.

Loras Jaeger, director of DPS, also said help is available to those who might need it.

“There are a lot of areas people can go to if they feel injustice has taken place,” he said.

Jaeger said DPS and the Ames Police Department have an agreement to investigate each other’s criminal issues to “ensure there is neutrality in the investigation.”

Other agencies such as the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a state ombudsman also can be contacted to investigate internal affairs, he said.

The procedures that follow a complaint, either criminal or internal, include documenting both sides of the complaint in writing and searching for evidence, such as radio or telephone conversations, computer records, car videos or witness statements, Stewart said.

“We have not had a [criminal] incident in the past nine years involving a full-time staff,” Stewart said. DPS did have a criminal investigation four or five years ago involving a student employee who stole parking permits, he said.

The usual complaints filed include rudeness and disagreement with traffic stops, Stewart said.

DPS averages a couple internal affairs complaints each year, and the department has already received two this year, Stewart said.

Foster said all internal affairs complaints within the Sheriff’s Office are handled by a chief deputy who conducts an investigation and reports the findings to the sheriff, who makes the final decision.

All criminal investigations involving officers are handled by an outside department, such as a local jurisdiction or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, depending on where the incident in question occurred and the nature of the alleged offense.