Tehachapi News

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The TPD's goal is to try and provide the best possible community policing services to the City of Tehachapi. We have also tried to be as open and transparent as possible, providing as much information to our local newspapers as we can, including a weekly multi-page summary of our arrests, significant cases, and activity logs, while preserving all legally required confidentiality.
During our first ten months of service to the Tehachapi community the majority of the feedback the police department has received has been of a positive nature. However there will be times when our service may be other than what you expected or an officer's actions may lead to a question, concern, or complaint.
When questions or concerns arise about our actions, it is my expectation that TPD supervisors will promptly look into the matter. If our review indicates that a mistake was made, we will acknowledge and apologize for the mistake, as was the case a few months ago when I issued a newspaper apology for a series of wrongly issued parking tickets. On the other hand, if the review indicates that the officer's actions were proper, you can expect an explanation for the actions.
The California Penal Code requires all police departments to have a formal process for the handling of complaints and the TPD has such a process. You may ask your question or initiate a complaint in any of several ways. You can call 822-2222 and leave a message for a supervisor  or send us an e-mail at your convenience. You are also welcome to stop by our office during business hours and ask to speak with a supervisor. If the supervisor is in the field, you may have to wait a few minutes for him or her to return. You may also pick up a complaint form from our office and take it with you to complete. No matter how you contact us, you will get an answer.
On the other hand, the TPD will not officially respond to rumors and gossip. While we are certainly aware of “letters to the editor” and may occasionally review the various blogs, it is not our general practice to respond to what may be anonymous or second or third hand perceptions of an incident via the Internet. Often, these types of communications do not provide a factual account of what actually took place. If we become aware of an issue we believe is of general public concern, we may prepare an article such as this to try and clear up any misperceptions.
As an example, a recent letter to the editor in one of our local newspapers referred to two incidents allegedly involving a particular TPD employee. Both incidents had already been handled internally by TPD supervisors prior to the publishing of the letter. It is interesting to note that the accused employee was never present at and had absolutely no involvement in one of the incidents and that another person came forward and accepted responsibility for the incident.  
The bottom line is that if you have a question or a concern about our actions, our procedures, or our services, all you have to do is contact us and you will get an answer. As always, you can reach the TPD at 822-2222 or you can e-mail me at JKermode@TehachapiPD.com.