Northeastern's Institute on Race and Justice, aided by a grant from the federal Community-Oriented Policing Services program, is studying the Boston Police Department's handling of civilian complaints about police misconduct.

The institute-under the direction of Jack McDevitt, associate dean of the College of Criminal Justice-will seek to develop recommendations on how to strengthen or improve the civilian complaint process.

Researchers will interview people who have filed complaints, ask how the process worked for them, and examine other communities' methods for handling complaints lodged against officers.

McDevitt, who has studied many cities' complaint processes, was involved in the 1991 Boston commission that established the current civilian-complaint process, which he says has fallen out of use.

"Some [citizens] see it as not a fair process," he says.

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