Brooke Hogan Says Cops 'Missed The Mark' in Hulk Hogan Death Probe

Brooke Hogan isn't celebrating the Clearwater Police Department closing the book on Hulk Hogan's death investigation ... telling TMZ she believes authorities botched the case from the very beginning.

After police announced there has been no evidence to indicate Hulk's death was anything other than natural, Brooke tells TMZ she was stunned to see the department publicly thank her for her cooperation ... 'cause she says she felt like an outsider throughout the entire process.

Brooke says ... "There's been a lot of inconsistencies from the BEGINNING. I think CWPD missed the mark by not IMMEDIATELY making this a big investigation and not questioning everything and everybody out the gate. This should have been treated as a taped off, locked down, thorough investigation from day one."

She also says the department's public acknowledgment felt like "a slap in the face." Clearwater police have declined to comment on her statements.

Brooke points to several issues she says still don't add up ... including being told at one point there were no blood samples available, only to later hear investigators found nothing suspicious in Hulk's blood.

She also notes police records released to the public contain redactions related to prescriptions Hulk was taking for pain and sleep ... medications she says do not appear in the toxicology findings.

As TMZ previously reported, Brooke contacted police within days of Hulk's death asking whether an autopsy would be performed. She says a private autopsy was ultimately conducted for the family, but she was never allowed to see the results and says they were never publicly released.

Brooke also questions why Hulk's death certificate was signed by his personal physician rather than someone from the medical examiner's office.

The criticism comes days after Clearwater police wrapped up their nearly yearlong review, saying medical records, witness interviews, surveillance footage, and other evidence showed no signs of foul play or criminal wrongdoing in the wrestling icon's death.

For Brooke, though, the report doesn't appear to have answered every question.