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Arizona Complaint and Legally Sound Investigation Procedures

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I had gotten word that there has been a complaint filed regarding misconduct in our Arizona agency. Please give me a quick run down of the steps I need to take in order to ensure that my investigation into this situation is legally sound so that our agency can avoid long-term legal problems.

Sure. There are some simple tips that you should follow in order to ensure that you conduct your internal investigation according to legal requirements so that you do not get into any legal troubles in the future. Here are some of those tips:

Determine if the situation requires a formal investigation. You may be able to resolve the issue through conversation rather than a formal investigation into the matter.

Evaluate what issues are on the table. Be sure that you are completely sure of what issues are being discussed before continuing with the investigation.

Find an investigator, internally or externally, that is able to help with the details. This person may come from an outside agency, or the person could be a manager within the company, or it could be you.

Review any documentation, such as statements, witness reports, and formal complaints. Before you interview the people involved, it is important that you are familiar with the situation and with the company policies that may be effected by the situation.

It’s important to let the accused employee know about any accusations against him or her. You will also need to let that employee have a chance to talk about what issues are at stake.

Make sure that you speak with all potential witnesses involved in the situation. Make sure that you document everything in writing, and include details of what they have told you.

After the thorough investigation, be sure that you determine how serious the claims are. If a policy has been violated, then it is up to you to prepare a summary of what you have fond during the investigation and to enforce the company policy regarding such cases.

Inform all parties involved what the outcome of the investigation is.

Make sure that everything you have done is well documented so that you can avoid future legal liability.