This study was undertaken to explore possible racial differences in the types of complaints that officers receive, the disposition of the complaints by the internal affairs investigators, and the ultimate disciplinary action. The complaints that were filed with the internal affairs office of a large municipal police agency in the Southeastern United States over a three year period (1995–1997) were used as a data base. A variety of complaint types were considered in this analysis, including those internally and externally initiated, as well as force and non‐force allegations. While significant differences based on the race of the officer were found in the types of complaints and the disposition of the allegation, no significant differences were found in the disciplinary action given to the officers