How to file a complaint about a police officer

What a complaint can and cannot do

A complaint asks a police agency, or an outside oversight body, to review how an officer behaved. Depending on the result, an officer may receive training, a warning, discipline or nothing at all. The agency usually decides that internally.

A complaint does not dismiss a ticket, drop a criminal charge or pay for damage. Those questions are decided by a court or through an insurance or legal claim, on a separate track. People are sometimes disappointed when a complaint “goes nowhere” because they expected it to fix a ticket or get them compensation.

Many people still file because they want the conduct on record, because they want the agency to look at its own footage, or because they want to make sure it does not happen to someone else. Those are reasonable goals. It helps to be clear with yourself about which goal you have before you start writing.

Before you file: get your facts in order

A complaint written a few hours after the encounter is usually more accurate than one written weeks later. Even if you are not ready to file, it often helps to write your own account now and keep it private.

• When and where: the date, the time as closely as you can, the street or intersection, and the direction you were traveling.
• Who: officer names, badge numbers, patrol car numbers, and the agency on the uniform or car. Many officers hand out a card or write their details on a ticket.
• What was said: the exact words where you remember them, especially anything said about a search, a reason for the stop or an arrest.
• Witnesses: names and contact details of anyone who saw it.
• Your own evidence: your recording, photos of any injury or damage, and any paperwork you were given.

Keep your original recording untouched. Make copies for sharing.

Where complaints go

Most complaints go to the agency that employs the officer. Many departments have an internal affairs or professional standards unit, and most accept complaints online, by mail, by phone or in person at a station. The agency’s website usually has a complaint form and explains its process.

Some cities and counties also have a civilian review board or police auditor that accepts complaints and may review the agency’s investigation. State police, sheriff’s offices and campus or transit police each handle their own complaints, so check which agency the officer actually works for. The ticket, the uniform patch or the car markings usually tell you.

If you are not sure where to file, a call to the agency’s non-emergency line asking “How do I file a conduct complaint?” is often the quickest answer. Many agencies set a time limit for complaints, and it varies, so look for it early. Your ticket or the agency’s complaint page may also list how to get a copy of the report.

What to write

A complaint is most useful to an investigator when it is specific, calm and easy to check. A simple structure:

1. Who you are and how to reach you, unless you choose to file anonymously where the agency allows it.
2. The basics: date, time, place, officer identifiers and the reason you were given for the stop.
3. What happened, in order. Short paragraphs. Quote exact words where you can and say when you are estimating.
4. What you are concerned about. Name the conduct plainly, such as “the officer searched my trunk after I said I did not consent.”
5. Evidence available: say that you have a recording, photos or witnesses, and that bodycam or dashcam footage may exist.
6. What you are asking for: a review of the conduct and preservation of all footage.

Leave out insults, guesses about motives and anything you did not see yourself. Investigators take a measured account more seriously.

If you also have a court case or injury claim

Anything you write in a complaint may be read by the agency, by prosecutors and possibly by the other side in a lawsuit. If you have a pending ticket, a criminal charge or an injury from the encounter, what you say in the complaint can matter in those cases too.

That is not a reason to stay silent, but it is a common reason people talk to a lawyer before they file. A lawyer may suggest timing the complaint after a court date, limiting it to certain facts, or filing it through their office. A lawyer can also tell you whether a civil claim is possible and what deadlines apply, including any notice that must be sent to a government body within a short window.

Separately, many people send a written request asking the agency to preserve bodycam, dashcam and dispatch records. Agencies keep footage for limited periods. See how to request bodycam footage.

What happens after you file

Processes vary, but a common pattern looks like this. The agency logs the complaint and may send you a reference number. An investigator may contact you for an interview, ask for your recording or ask you to sign a statement. The investigation can take weeks or months. At the end, many agencies send a short letter with a finding, often using words like “sustained,” “not sustained,” “exonerated” or “unfounded.” The glossary explains terms like these.

You may not learn what discipline, if any, was imposed. Personnel rules in many places keep that private.

Keep a log of every contact: date, name, what was said and what you sent. Keep copies of everything you submit and note how you sent it. If an investigator asks for your recording, many people send a copy and keep the original, and some ask their lawyer to handle that exchange.

Common mistakes

• Waiting too long. Footage may be overwritten and complaint windows can close.
• Arguing at the scene instead. Disputes about a stop are safer to raise later in writing. At the scene, staying calm, keeping hands visible and following lawful orders protects you.
• Posting the video first. Publishing evidence before a lawyer has seen it can complicate a case. See keeping your recordings safe.
• Exaggerating. One overstatement that the footage contradicts can undermine everything else you wrote.
• Sending your only copy. Always keep the original.
• Expecting the complaint to fix the ticket. Deal with the ticket by its own deadline. See should you contest a traffic ticket.