Which term describes an outcome in which the officer is cleared of wrongdoing after a complaint investigation?

• A. Exoneration
• B. Sustained complaints
• C. Unfounded complaints
• D. Unsustained complaints

Answer: (A)

In complaint investigations, exoneration is the outcome where the officer’s actions are found to be proper and within policy, so no misconduct is established. This means the officer is cleared of wrongdoing. It specifically indicates that, even if the incident occurred, it did not violate department rules or policy. This differs from unfounded, which means the complaint is not supported and the alleged act did not occur; and from unsustained (not sustained), which means there isn’t enough evidence to determine whether wrongdoing occurred. Sustained would indicate there is evidence of misconduct.