Citizen Complaints

We are an organization that acts as a fair and impartial justice partner to the court, provides rehabilitative community-based supervision, and maintains a safe custodial environment for the youth and young adults in our care. We strive to perform our duties fairly and with the utmost competence and compassion. We must earn the trust of those we serve so they partner with us to keep our community safe. Having a sound process for dealing with citizen complaints is an important step toward building this trust.

At times, a member of our community may have a complaint about one of our employees. Much of the time, the issue arises from a misunderstanding about the law or policy that an employee is obligated to follow, or about the circumstances of an event. These issues can often be resolved by discussing the concerns with a supervisor. There may be some cases in which the complaint is about an employee’s conduct, or alleges a violation of department policy or law. It is the policy of the Merced County Probation Department that all complaints or allegations of misconduct on the part of any employee be investigated promptly.

We encourage you to call and discuss the situation with one of our supervisors. This is often the most expedient and effective way of resolving a complaint. If this does not bring you satisfaction, or if your do not wish to discuss your concerns with a supervisor, you may download and print a Citizen's Complaint Form (PDF). It is important that you be detailed and truthful in the information you provide. You may return the filled-out form to any Probation Office location.

Our goal is to effectively resolve your complaint. The Merced County Probation Department always strives to deliver the best quality of services and we sincerely appreciate your input and comments.

Note: The Citizen Complaint Act of 1997 requires that we provide a method for use by California citizens to comment, complain, or provide suggestions about the Merced County Probation Department.