How to file a personnel related complaint
Members of the public may file a complaint against Parks Department personnel by submitting a Parks personnel complaint form (“Complaint Form”) online or in person.
Submit the complaint form online
To submit a complaint form online, a member of the public may fill and submit the form using the link listed below.
Submit a complaint form in person
To submit a complaint form in person, a member of the public may drop off a completed complaint form at the Parks Department’s administration office, located at 5710 Fontanoso Way, San Jose, CA 95138 (please note this office a temporary address during construction). The main office is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, except for County Holidays. Blank copies of the complaint form may be requested from the main office or downloaded from the link listed below:
Submit a complaint form by email
To submit a personnel complaint form by email, a member of the public may fill out the PDF complaint form linked above and email it to [email protected].
If a person submitting a complaint form would like to speak about the specifics of their complaint with the Parks Department, the complainant—when submitting their complaint form—should indicate they would like to be contacted about their complaint and provide their contact information.
Processing complaints
Upon receipt of the complaint, the Parks Department shall assign a tracking number to the complaint, except where the complaint does not involve an employee of the County Parks Department, the complaint is frivolous on its face, or the complaint does not on its face allege misconduct or neglect of duty which violates law, policy, or procedure.
If the complaint is assigned a tracking number, the Parks Department shall route the complaint to the appropriate investigating body.
If the complaint involves alleged misconduct of a Park Ranger, the complaint shall be routed to the Manager of Parks Ranger Operations, who in turn shall route the complaint to the Internal Affairs Unit and process the complaint in a manner consistent with the Parks Department’s Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures.
If the complaint involves alleged misconduct of any other member of the Parks Department, the complaint form will be routed to the appropriate manager. The manager will review the complaint, contact the complainant (if complainant indicated on the Complaint Form that they would like to be contacted), and, work with the Parks Human Resources Manager, Labor Relations Department, Executive Management, and/or Equal Opportunity Department to initiate and conduct an administrative investigation consistent with County policies, procedures, and practices.
Resolution process
Upon final disposition of the complaint, the Parks Department shall notify the complainant of the final disposition (e.g., “allegations sustained” or “allegations not sustained”) by mail or email, unless the complainant did not provide a mailing or email address.