Can you complain about a police officer?

Answer 1

I assume you mean police officer.

The short answer is "Don't". You will only become sadder and madder when nothing gets done. Or frightened when something is done - to you.

But if we assume that you have a hospital report and reputable witnesses (upper middle class, no priors, property tax payers) and/or a camcorder with Rodney King-ish footage in it, then you would report it to the governing authority of the police (usually the town council/Mayor) and the District Attorney and the Chief of Police.

Needless to say, keep a copy of the tape in a friend's safety deposit box. (And tell a local reporter what you are doing, every step of the way.)

Also, retain a great attorney. And make sure that you are legally untouchable - the bag of pot in your drawer, your kid's habit of having underage friends over to drink, the building code violation on your garage - all these things need to stop/be corrected.

Drive safely, after you make the report. Full and complete stop at stop signs, no speeding, make sure you've a camcorder or cell phone with you at all times.

Finally, make your demands moderate. Go for the money, not for the officer being punished, and definitely not higher ups being punished. After all, if you win money, it won't be them that pay you, they'll just bill the taxpayers. But if you succeed in getting one of them punished, well, that's personal, and hurts them, so you'd probably need to move.

(If any think that the above is dramatic, please remember every movie you have seen about the good person wronged, who fights the good fight against the system and wins. Remember all half a dozen or so of them? Now guess what happened to the millions of others who had no movies made of them. That's right, there is a reason why those who win against the system are in the news - it's because it's news.)

Answer 2

Yes. But if you are suing the officer for something he did while doing his duty, think carefully before you proceed. If the officer did something illegal or conducted himself in any way that was "out of line" for a cop, you may be better off filing a complaint against the officer as a first course of action. All complaints are handled by other cops, and they will have access to all the facts in the case. They will take your complaint, where you've said all the the officer said and did to "earn" the complaint. They will also collect the officer's statement. Investigators will have access to the officer's file and any "priors" in his jacket. The investigators will look things over, and then what happens, happens. If an officer was way out of line and did something illegal, then the district attorney may step in and file on the officer, but this is extremely unusual. If an officer bends the rules as regards department policy, he may or may not get a talking to and a note in his file. If "nothing happens" in the situation, then that's it. Still want to sue? Go for it. You'll be suing the officer in civil court in a civil complaint. You'll need an attorney, unless you're really sharp and you actually knowthe law. That will cost money. If you filed a complaint first and let it run its course, you'll have a pretty good idea where you stand. A legal professional will let you know up front what your chances of success are. Good, poor, or non-existent, listen to the legal professional. You may want to contact an attorney before you file a complaint against the officer. The wise person would. The merely pissed off person absolutely would. Legal advice is usually cheap or even free, at least upon an initial consultation. Call around, ask around, or whatever it takes to get hooked up if you're serious. The first thing you should do right now is write down all that you recall about the incident in question. Everything. Now. Before time erodes your memory of it. Then proceed to get some professional legal advice on filing a complaint. You may or may not want to do that. Just like you may or may not want to sue.

Answer 3

Whether you file a complaint against a police officer depends on what alleged wrong took place. If it is trivial, then no. But if it was a clear abuse of his/her authority, then absolutely. The key is figuring out whether the act was trivial or not.

Answer 4

The answer will vary from department to department. Many have an internal group that handles complaints, but you can always start by contacting the local prosecutor's office. They may not handle the complaints directly, but they will always know who you should contact.

Answer 5

Contact the superiors in their department or agency, or if the department is large enough, they may have their own Internal Affairs department which investigates the internal wrongdoings of its member. There are other avenues, of course. If you have a civil complaint you may file a civil case against them - if there is a civilian review board in your area that hears such complaints, contact them - etc.

Answer 6

You can lodge a complaint with the police officer's supervisor.

In truly egregious circumstances, you may be able to file a civil suit. Just because the officer has a badge, the officer is not invincible from the law, but in all the courts' wisdom, offending officers are let off lighter than the averae citizen.

Answer 7

Believe it or not, with the police department in question. If you are not happy with the results, you can contact the Attorney General for the state.

Answer 8

Yes, all north American Police departments have a complaints resolution process.

In some places you can complain to FBI or Prosecutors office.

Answer 9

It shouldn't cost anything to lodge a complaint with the police department. If you want to sue the officer, then you will need a lawyer, who will want to get paid.