Internal affairs (law enforcement)

Internal affairs (often known as IA) is a division of a law enforcement agency that investigates incidents and possible suspicions of criminal and professional misconduct attributed to members of the parent force. It is thus a mechanism of limited self-governance, "a police force policing itself". The names used by internal affairs divisions vary between agencies and jurisdictions; for example, they may be known as the internal investigations division (usually referred to as IID), professional standards or responsibility, inspector or inspectorate general, internal review board, or similar.

Due to the sensitive nature of this responsibility, in many departments, officers employed in an internal affairs unit are not in a detective command but report directly to the head of internal affairs whom themselves typically report directly to the head of the parent agency, or to a board of civilian commissioners.

Internal affairs investigators are generally bound by stringent rules when conducting their investigations. For example, in California, the Peace Officers Bill of Rights (POBR) is a mandated set of rules found in the California Government Code which applies to most peace officers (law enforcement officers) within California.^[1] The bill, among other provisions; restricts where and when a peace officer may be interviewed regarding the subject of an investigation; codifies the right of the peace officer being questioned to have a personal and/or legal representative present at most proceedings; guarantees the right of appeal to any non-probationary peace officer subject to punitive action by the agency; and requires that a peace officer being interviewed regarding an alleged criminal act be advised of their constitutional rights and protections (I.e. that they be Mirandized).