What is contained in a police officer's personal file?What is their purpose?Do citizen recommendations matter?

Question

What is contained in a police officer's personal file?What is their purpose?Do citizen recommendations matter?

Answer 1

This is sometimes referred to as a " rat jacket". It will contain ( or at least ours did) certificates of all your training, hire information, equipment description and serial number that was issued to you. It will also have any complaint, commendations or other awards and official complaints against you.

It is truly a pretty complete picture of your work history and will contain even performance evaluations and recommendations from training officers etc. Even will contain actual awards for things such as Burglar arrests, Investigation awards etc.

The ribbons you see on an officers uniform will have some corresponding certificate in his " rat jacket". This can be used for rank promotion and may even have promotion test scores in the jacket. Can also be used against you if you have been a bad boy. You generally will have your own copy of your "rat jacket".

Answer 2

I guess just like our work files which contains our performance evaluations, whether we are habitual late comers or are punctuality sticklers or achievements and failures their personal files will be the same, including citizen recommendations, which will assist on the decisions of promotions of officers to higher levels within the force.  I believe they go through the same process as teachers or any other worker except there are places to file complaints on them.  

Answer 3

any and everything pertaining to that particular officer like written and oral complaints, acclamations; recommendations, citations, etc...