PURPOSE OF THIS DIRECTIVE:
To establish Bureau standards regarding press interviews.
PROCEDURES:
Due to the inherent confidential nature of Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) investigations and Shooting/Force Reviews, IAB shall refrain from giving press interviews.
On occasion, IAB investigators are sought out to conduct press interviews at the scene of a Force/Shooting activation. It is the IAB standard that all press inquiries are to be referred to the station or unit where the incident occurred or to the handling detective responsible for the criminal aspect of the incident. This practice falls within the guidelines of MPP 3-01/080.15 Press Relations and Field Operations Directive: 97-04 in relation to the decentralized release of information. IAB investigators should make themselves available to the handling unit for consultation and “fact set” information.