What Can I Do If I Am Not Satisfied With The Decision
You should file a Notice of Review with the Police Complaints Commissionerwithin 30 days of receipt of the decision if youre not satisfied with it.
Once you file the Notice of Review, the Police Complaints Commissioner:
- will attempt to resolve the complaint. Any resolution will require the consent of the involved officer and the complainant.
- may conduct an independent investigation of the complaint if there is no resolution. Following the completion of this investigation, the Commissioner will decide whether the complaint has merit and, if that is the case, the matter will be referred to the Police Review Board.
If the complaint is not referred to the Police Review Board you will be notified that no further action will be taken with respect to your complaint.
Who Decides The Outcome Of The Case
The Chief of Police or the Halifax Regional Municipality Board of Police Commissioners will review the investigation and may decide to:
- take no further action with respect to the complaint
- discipline the officer
You will be notified of the decision, as will the involved officer and the Police Complaints Commissioner.
How Do I Make A Complaint About The Police
Question & Answer
If you’re concerned about how you were treated by the police, you can make a complaint. For example, you can make a complaint if:
- you were offended by something a police officer said or did to you
- you weren’t satisfied with the service the police gave you
- you’re concerned about how a relative or friend was treated by the police
- your property was damaged by the police
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Do I Have To Contact Professional Standards To Make A Complaint
No. You may make your complaint to any of the following:
- any member of the Halifax Regional Police
You can discuss your concern with any of the above but if you want to make a formal complaint, you must fill out and complete the Form 5 – Public Complaint Police Act Regulations form .
The Police Complaints Commissioner receives a copy of every formal complaint, regardless of where it is filed.
How Do I Submit A Compliment
- Prepare a brief description of the employees performance and mail it to the employees district commander.
- If you do not know where the employee is assigned, you may forward your letter to the Office of the Chief.
- A copy of the complimentary letter will be placed in the employees personnel file.
- You will be notified via a letter from the Office of the Chief that the Department has received your compliment.
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What Can I Complain About
The OIPRD accepts complaints about the conduct of a police officer, or the policies or services of a police service.
- Conduct complaints are about the behaviour of a police officer
- Policy complaints are about the rules and standards of a police service that guide how an officer delivers police services
- Service complaints relate to how effectively and efficiently a particular service performs its duties
Who Cannot Make A Complaint
The following people cannot make a complaint with the OIPRD:
- A member or auxiliary member of a police service cannot complaint about their own service
- An employee of the Ontario Provincial Police cannot complain about the OPP
- A member or employee of a police services board cannot complain about their own service
- An employee of the OIPRD
- A member or employee of the Ontario Civilian Police Commission
- The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
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Get Help After A Sexual Assault
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Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline anytime at 1-800-656-HOPE . They will connect you anonymously with a counselor at your nearest rape treatment center.
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Find state domestic violence resources online.
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Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline anytime at 1-800-799-SAFE . You can talk confidentially with an advocate or find local resources.
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Contact the Loveisrespect hotline if you or someone you know is a victim of teen dating violence. Reach a peer advocate anytime by phone at , by texting loveis to 22522, or by chat online.
Officer And Civilian Employee Compliments
Compliments about services rendered by a particular officer, civilian employee, or section are important to us and to our personnel. Your comments will become part of the employee’s personnel file and will be shared with the employee’s commanders. Occasionally, complimentary comments are the basis for nominations for special service awards or other departmental recognition.
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Police Officer Complaint Form
- Anonymously
- Using the below online complaint form
- In person or in writing, with the internal Affairs Section at the following address:
How to Complain about a Police OfficerWrite to: Anne Arundel County Police DepartmentInternal Affairs Section8495 Veterans HighwayMillersville, MD 21108
- For citizens who wish to appear in person, business hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Citizens may file a complaint by telephone with the internal Affairs Office at 222-8740 – There is a voice mail system for those who call after business hours
- Citizens may also file a complaint at any time with any supervisor, or any other police department employee, at any of the 4 district stations.
- Citizens may obtain annual statistics by making a written request to the Internal Affairs Section
Persons may be held criminally and/or civilly liable for knowingly filing a false complaint or making a false statement.
What Happens After The Police Investigate My Complaint
After the police have finished investigating your complaint, they will tell you what will happen next. They may:
- apologise to you,
- change their policies or procedures,
- speak to the person you complained about to improve their performance,
- refer your complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct if they think something serious has happened, or
- refer your complaint to the Crown Prosecution Service if they believe that a member of staff has committed a crime.
Unfortunately, the police may not always have enough evidence to take any action. If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint, you can appeal.
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When Should A Complaint Be Filed
Its possible for a citizen to complain about a police officer for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they failed to adequately identify themselves or used demeaning language. Police officers also are not allowed to discriminate against citizens for any reason whatsoever.
- Harassment
These are examples of when a police officer complaint may be necessary.
What Happens After I Make A Complaint
The officer appointed to investigate your complaint will contact you to discuss the matter and determine how to proceed. This can lead to one of two outcomes:
- Informal resolution: If you and the involved officer agree, the investigating officer will attempt to address the complaint through informal resolution. Informal resolution uses the process of mediation and usually involves a face-to-face meeting between all involved parties under the guidance of a neutral party. The complaint may then be withdrawn or may be resolved by other means mutually consented to by all parties.
- Formal investigation: If there is no informal resolution, the investigating officer will proceed with a formal investigation. This investigation must be completed within 60 days from the date you filed your written complaint. In exceptional circumstances the Police Complaints Commissioner may grant an extension of time to complete the investigation. You will receive a notice when the investigation has been completed.
The Police Complaints Commissioner ensures that time limitations provided within the Police Act are adhered to and may extend the time to investigate complaints when additional time is requested by the authority.
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Requests To Obtain Records Related To Misconduct Complaints
Members of the public may request to obtain records from the Police Department relating to an administrative or criminal investigation of misconduct by a police officer under the Public Information Act . These requests can be made via the same process used for all other Police Department requests to obtain information under the PIA.
To file a PIA request with the Police Department, follow the instructions for how to make a PIA request provided by the Baltimore County Office of Law. Use the custodian information listed for the Police Department.
How Will My Complaint Be Resolved
Each complaint will be resolved in writing. Your complaint will be assigned a unique identifier which will be provided to you. This number will be used to follow your complaint through the process.
Quality-Of-Service Complaints will be assigned to a supervisor and fully investigated.
- Upon completion of the investigation you will be asked to attend a resolution meeting.
- The resolution meeting is a sincere effort by all parties to discuss and resolve the complaint.
Misconduct Allegations will be assigned to an investigator and fully investigated.
- Upon completion of this investigation a report will be forwarded to the Police Chief for final disposition.
- Once the report is approved, you will be informed in writing of the outcome of the investigation of your complaint, including whether any non-disciplinary corrective action or disciplinary action was taken.
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How Do I File A Complaint
A complaint can be filed in writing, verbally, in person or by mail, telephone, Telephone Device for Deaf , fax or e-mail.
Police personnel at the front desk of each district station are authorized to take complaints, including third-party complaints, which persons may file at any district station.
A Cincinnati Police Department Citizen Complaint Form will be completed each time a complaint is filed.
What Information Do I Need?
On the Cincinnati Police Department Citizen Complaint Form, you will be requested to give your name, address, phone numbers where you can be reached, and the name, address and phone numbers of any witnesses.
You will also need to provide the date, time and facts of the incident. If you have the officer’s name, badge number, unit of assignment or car number, it would be helpful .
The Karnataka High Court Had Permitted Private Schools In September To Collect 85 Per Cent Of The Tuition Fees They Charged For 2019
In response to the Karnataka government directing private schools in the state not to withhold issuing transfer certificates to parents filing an application to move their wards out from the existing school, the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka has decided to file police complaints against parents failing to pay due school fees.
According to KAMS General Secretary D Shashikumar, the decision was taken during a recent meeting held with member schools. If parents fail to clear dues before applying for the TC in a bid to pull their wards out of their existing schools, we will file police complaints for cheating as they failed to pay the fees mandated by the Karnataka High Court, he said.
The Karnataka High Court had permitted private schools in September to collect 85 per cent of the tuition fees they charged for 2019-2020 academic year, directing them to provide a 15 per cent discount on account of facilities remaining underutilised owing to academic sessions being held online.
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How To File A Citizen Complaint Or Commendation
As a government agency charged with protecting the public and enforcing the law, the Metropolitan Police Department strives to provide the highest level of customer service possible. We value the opinions of the public we serve in order to help us achieve this standard. By providing your input positive or negative we can learn where our efforts are hitting the mark and where we might need to focus our attention to improve the service we provide to the hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors we encounter each year.
If you believe you have been subjected to, or witnessed, police misconduct of any type, the MPD encourages you to report the incident to either the MPD or the Office of Police Complaints . There are many convenient ways for you to file complaints, including in-person, over the telephone, or via mail, email or fax. There are two distinct processes for reviewing and investigating complaints:
DC Office of Police Complaints :
Metropolitan Police Department :
- Investigates complaints against its members through the MPD Internal Affairs Division and chain-of-command officials.
- Investigates complaints filed at anytime alleging any type of misconduct, including misconduct that can be investigated by OPC.
- Investigates anonymous complaints.
Ways To Make A Complaint
There are three ways to make a complaint about police.
Conversation
A complainant can go into a police station and simply have a conversation to clear up a question or complaint.
Local Resolution
A Local Resolution allows the police to solve, explain, clear up or settle a matter considered to be less serious directly with the complainant. The complaint must be dealt with in person at a police station by a senior officer designated by the police chief within 30 days of the incident.
Find out more about Local Resolution.
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Filing A Complaint With Oig
OIG looks at SPD systems for areas that need improvement. OIG also investigates complaints of misconduct when a conflict of interest prevents OPA from doing so.
Please note that when submitting a complaint to OIG, OIG may forward your complaint to an agency that can better handle your concern, unless you request otherwise. In all cases, OIG will follow up with you regarding the handling of your complaint.
The OIG complaint form can be downloaded here. Please be aware that Washington State has very broad public disclosure laws that require City agencies to disclose many documents. You may contact OIG without providing your name.
For general questions or comments, or if you have questions about how to file a complaint, here are various ways to contact OIG. Someone will attempt to contact you within two business days :
Providing Police Services Can Often Be A Very Difficult And Complex Job
The Division of State Police recognizes that mistakes may be made and the actions of our troopers may fall short of expectations. The Division of State Police has established rules and regulations and standing operating procedures governing the professional and personal conduct of employees and acceptable work performance standards. These guidelines are designed to protect the well-being and the rights of all citizens and employees. The Office of Professional Standards will thoroughly investigate all reports of misconduct by troopers regardless of the source. Anyone who files a complaint against a trooper will be treated with courtesy and respect.
To make a complaint you may:
Call the Office of Professional Standards at our toll free recorded hot line: 1-877-253-4125, to speak to a representative Monday through Friday, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. After 5:00 pm leave a message. You will receive a return call during business hours from our office.
You may also email:
Please include as much of the following information as you can remember:
- Date, time, and location of the incident
- Name and badge number of the member involved
- Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any witnesses
- Circumstances of the incident
Corrective Action
- Counseling
- Reduction in rank
- Termination
You can call the toll free recorded hotline: 1-877-253-4125
Note: This hotline is strictly for compliments and/or complaints. All other inquiries can be addressed by calling 609-882-2000.
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When Does The Independent Office For Police Conduct Investigate A Complaint
The Independent Office for Police Conduct investigates the most serious complaints against the police. Such as:
- death,
- serious injury, or
- claims that officers have done something wrong.
Your police force must pass your complaint to the IOPC if you have made a serious complaint about the police. Your police force must also pass information to the IOPC about serious concerns, even if you havent made a complaint.
The IOPC has different levels of investigation. How they investigate will depend on how complicated or serious your complaint is.
For more information about the IPOC please see the previous section.
Why Might I Want To Complain
Dealing with the police can be a stressful experience. You can complain if you are not happy with the service the police have given you. You can complain about the behaviour of police officers or members of police staff. Or you can complain about how the service is run. You may feel that police officers or police staff:
- treated you badly,
- did not act in line with your rights,
- did not follow correct policies and procedures,
- treated you unfairly because of your mental health. This may be discrimination, or
- actions have had a negative effect on you. Even if it was not directed towards you.
The Standards of Professional Behaviour explain how police officers should act. They should:
- be honest and not abuse their powers,
- act with self-control and tolerance and treat you with respect,
- respect your rights
- treat you fairly and not discriminate, and
- only use the right amount of force when they need to.
- treat your information with respect and only access it or share it, in line with their job
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Title Ii Of The Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990 And Section 504 Of The Rehabilitation Act Of 1973
The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 prohibit discrimination against individuals on the basis of disability. . These laws protect all people with disabilities in the United States. An individual is considered to have a “disability” if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.
The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all State and local government programs, services, and activities regardless of whether they receive DOJ financial assistance it also protects people who are discriminated against because of their association with a person with a disability. Section 504 prohibits discrimination by State and local law enforcement agencies that receive financial assistance from DOJ. Section 504 also prohibits discrimination in programs and activities conducted by Federal agencies, including law enforcement agencies.