The Office of Professional Standards (OPS) supports the mission and core beliefs of the Glynn County Police Department and is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the department through ensuring adherence to ethical standards, performance criteria, and commitment to public service.  OPS performs its function by a variety of duties and responsibilities. 

OPS primary duties include:

• Accreditation and Certification
• Internal Affairs Investigations
• Policy, Procedures and Practices 

Accreditation and Certification

OPS staff are tasked with implementation of the department's goal to become both nationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and state-certified through the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP). OPS staff serve as the accreditation and certification team with responsibility  for ensuring that GCPD policies and practices reflect current national accreditation and state certification standards.

Internal Affairs Investigations 

The Office of Professional Standards (OPS) is responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct made against GCPD officers and employees.  This function is frequently called "Internal Affairs" in most law enforcement agencies.  The Internal Affairs function plays an important part in the maintenance of professional conduct within the Glynn County Police Department. The integrity of the Department depends on the personal integrity and discipline of each employee. OPS is responsible for investigating allegations of employee misconduct, originating internally as well as from outside sources or citizen complaints. They ensure compliance with the department’s rules and regulations and investigate allegations of infractions of policy, state and federal law, and the Constitution of the United States on the part of employees.

To a large degree, the public image of the Department is determined by the quality of the Internal Affairs response to allegations of misconduct by the agency or its employees.  When a citizen lodges a complaint against a member of the Glynn County Police Department, it is reviewed by the Administration Division Commander and subsequently investigated by Internal Affairs or the employee’s supervisor.  The review by the division commander is to ensure investigative action when members conduct themselves improperly while also protecting members from unwarranted complaints pursuant to discharge of official duties. Investigations are conducted in a fair and impartial manner and all employees and witnesses are treated with consideration and respect. 

To ensure public trust and maintain the department’s integrity, OPS personnel and supervisors conduct immediate, objective, and thorough investigations of all complaints. Each year, the complaints will be reviewed and studied to identify any patterns of misconduct. An OPS staff member will also also conducts exit interviews of employees and reviews all instances in which officers must provide a response to resistance.

In the event that an officer is accused of a criminal act on-duty or becomes involved in alleged criminal activity while off-duty, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will be requested to conduct a parallel criminal investigation while GCPD OPS conducts the internal review. 

Policy, Procedures and Practices

The OPS staff are also tasked with the ongoing review and editorial duties support to promote sound policy and procedure within the department, in conjunction with county policy and state law. It also supplies overview assistance for other written materials such as Executive Summaries and Resolutions for the Board of Commissioners. OPS conducts extensive research which provides relevant recommendations based on pending legislation, other agencies’ successes, and industry trends which will improve present systems, cut costs in the long run, and keep operations up to date.