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Internal Affairs

The Office of Professional Standards/Internal Affairs is under the command of Lieutenant DeShawn Bennett.

Location: 3039 West 28th Avenue (Regency Square)

Lt. Bennett

Lieutenant Deshawn Bennett 

Office: 870-850-2414

Email: dbennett@pbpd.org

Office of Professional Standards (OPS)

Pine Bluff Police Department

The Office of Professional Standards (OPS)/Internal Affairs promotes integrity, accountability, and professionalism within the Pine Bluff Police Department. All sworn members are committed to protecting the rights of every person, regardless of race, age, sex, nationality, religion, or political affiliation. OPS serves as an internal safeguard to ensure this commitment is consistently upheld.

OPS conducts administrative investigations only, focusing on alleged violations of departmental policies, procedures, and professional standards. The office does not investigate criminal offenses. Its mission is to ensure employee conduct meets the highest ethical and professional expectations while maintaining public trust.

Citizen complaints play an important role in this process and assist the department in supervising personnel fairly and transparently. Complaints may be submitted in person, by phone, by mail, by email, or online. Minor matters may be addressed at the supervisory level, while more serious allegations receive a formal OPS investigation. Upon completion of an investigation, the complainant is notified in writing of the final disposition, in accordance with applicable law and departmental policy.

Final Disposition Classifications

All completed OPS investigations are classified under one of the following outcomes:

  • Unfounded - The investigation clearly establishes the alleged incident did not occur.

  • Exonerated - The incident occurred, but the employee's actions were lawful, justified, and proper.

  • Not Sustained - Insufficient evidence exists to prove or disprove the allegation.

  • Sustained - The investigation establishes that misconduct occurred.

  • Misconduct Not Based on Complaint - The investigation reveals misconduct unrelated to the original allegation.

  • Policy Failure - The incident occurred, but the employee acted in accordance with existing policy, or the conduct was not addressed by policy.

  • Withdrawn - The complaint was voluntarily withdrawn by the complainant.

OPS Responsibilities Include:

  • Administrative investigation of citizen complaints

  • Internal audits of departmental units

  • Processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests

  • Maintenance of disciplinary and investigative records

  • Support of hiring and recruiting processes

  • Coordination of polygraph examinations