Reporting Police Misconduct In Australia
Australia takes police misconduct and corruption very seriously. In all Australian states and territories there are avenues for the public to make complaints about police behaviour and conduct.
Serious police misconduct is conduct which the public would expect the police officer to lose their job over or result in criminal charges. The process of reporting police misconduct varies depending on the state and territory.
In most states and territories, complaints can be made anonymously. If a complaint is made anonymously, though, it is difficult to be investigated as the investigating authorities are unable to contact the you for more information.
Can The Police Make Your Harasser Remove Posts From The Internet
The police can request your harasser to remove posts from the internet. However, the police cannot force them to do this. It can only come by way of recommendation or advice. However, if your harasser does not remove the posts, which the police are considering as harassing, the police can then charge them with a criminal offence under the Protection from Harassment Act.
The Nypd Internal Affairs Bureau
The Internal Affairs Bureau of the Police Department is charged with investigating corruption and misconduct from within. The IAB accepts complaints from the public via telephone, email or mail. To file a complaint, email IAB@NYPD.org or call 741-8401. Mail goes to P.O. Box 10001, New York, NY 10014.
A big caveat: No investigation by IAB will be made available to the public, so it may be unclear what, if any, discipline results.
Big caveat: No investigation by IAB will be made public.
Its also possible the IAB will refer your complaint to the CCRB if investigators determine the case does not fall under their purview, Wong noted.
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File A Restraining Order
If you’re in an emergency situation, call 911.
If you’ve been a victim of domestic abuse and want to take legal action, you may be able to file for a protective order. Protective orders are also known as restraining orders or injunctions.
The process for obtaining a protective order differs from state to state. Your local police and court can help you get the process started. Contact your state, county, or municipal court for more information.
Generally, you have to fill out paperwork and submit it to the county courthouse. If you need protection right away, a judge may issue a temporary restraining order. To get a longer-term order, your judge may want either or both a full court hearing and your abuser’s presence.
The police can enforce a protective order. If necessary, the order can include special provisions like:
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Custody of children
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Forcing the abuser to leave a home
In some states, a protective order requires the abuser to surrender all firearms.
An Important Issue About Cyber Crime
Unfortunately, many cities and/or states are still learning how to address cyber bullying, internet harassment, SMS / text harassment, and so on. The reason for this is because before the internet become a tool to harass and threaten, police were given “jurisdictions” and each law enforcement agency operated within their jurisdiction.
When a “crime” occurs on the internet, many law enforcement officials do not know how specifically to deal with the issue since the crime occurred online. “Cyberspace” is not in a specific jurisdiction.
For more information, read What Happens After Text Message Harassment is Reported to Police.
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Help From State Agencies With Workplace Harassment
In addition to federal oversight, each state has an agency tasked with enforcing employment law, which is a great resource for victims of harassment in the workplace. Click on the link for your state below to learn more about state resources and local U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission offices.
What Do We Know About Stalkers In Canada
Criminal harassment is not an activity that is attributed to any one specific psychiatric diagnosis. There is no single profile of a stalker that exists. It appears that the main motivation for stalking another person is the desire to control, particularly in cases where the subject is a former partner.
Individuals who stalk may possess one or more various psychological conditions, from personality disorders to mental illness. Most individuals who stalk are engaging in obsessional behaviour. They have persistent thoughts and ideas concerning the object of their attentions. A stalker does not necessarily have a psychiatric disorder.
Legal history of criminal harassmentStalking is not new but recognition of it as a distinct criminal behaviour took place on August 1, 1993. The creation of the new offence of criminal harassment was introduced as a specific response to violence against women. The creation of Section 264 of the Criminal Code of Canada makes this conduct a crime.
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What To Do If You Are Harassed By Your Ex
If you are harassed by your ex, whether by messaging you on social media, by referring to you regularly on blog posts or by posting your intimate images on the internet without your consent, you will almost certainly feel harassed. You should report this to the police at the earliest opportunity. The posting of intimate images without consent is a criminal offence by itself which is commonly known as revenge porn. Any other unwanted communications, which happen on more than one occasion, would be covered under harassment law.
If your ex published a website about you, this would also be considered as harassment even if the website only contains one page and was only posted once to the internet. Make sure you report this to the police. If what your ex has posted is pictures that you have taken of yourself, you will own the copyright to the pictures and you will also be covered under the common law right to privacy. If the police are unhelpful, consider making a civil claim against your harasser in relation to any or all of the above-mentioned wrongdoings.
What Do You Need To Go To Court
In addition to keeping detailed records and screenshots of the harassment, youll likely need to work with a team that understands the regulations and laws requiring submitting content from social media as evidence in court as established by FRE 902. Suppose your abusers true identity is still unknown. In that case, you will need to determine exactly who it is you are suing using a service designed to uncover the people behind social media accounts. At Bosco, our cyber investigators use advanced search tools and analysis to locate the critical metadata, times & dates, and other data that the court requires to pursue a lawsuit. Learn more about social media investigations here.
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Can Anyone Help Me To Complain
A friend or relative can help you to complain.
If you are in prison, you could ask your Personal Officer, another member of prison staff or another inmate for help.
Advocacy
There may be community advocacy services that can help you to make a complaint. They are sometimes called generic advocates. But they wont exist in all areas of England.
Advocacy services are independent to the police. They should be free to use.
If you cant find an advocate to help you, talk to the police. If you have extra needs because of your mental illness or anther disability the police might need to help you find an advocate. If they do not do this they might be discriminating against you.
You can find more information about Discrimination by clicking here.
How do I find an advocacy service?
- Use an internet search engine. Use search terms like advocacy Leicestershire or community mental health advocacy Devon.
- Ask a support worker or key worker, if you have one.
- Ask a friend or family member to help you.
Member of Parliament
You could ask your local MP to help you make a complaint.
You can find out who your local MP is by going to the website
Or you can contact the House of Commons Information Office on 020 7219 4272.
Citizens Advice
Your local Citizens Advice may be able to help you complain.
You can find your local office at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ or call 08444 111 444.
Reporting Police Misconduct In Tasmania
Reporting and investigating allegations of police misconduct are governed under the Police Services Act 2003 , the Ombudsman Act 1978 and the Integrity Commission Act 2009 .
Misconduct allegations which are general in nature can be reported directly to police. More serious allegations of police misconduct, such as corruption, can be made directly to the ombudsman or the Integrity Commission.
Strict time limits apply when reporting police misconduct in Tasmania. Unless exceptional circumstances apply, you must lodge a complaint to Tasmania police within six months of the alleged misconduct. Similarly, a complaint must be lodged to the ombudsman within two years of the alleged police misconduct.
To find out more about how you can lodge a complaint against Tasmanian police for misconduct or corruption, read our dedicated article, Reporting Police Misconduct in Tasmania.
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Illinois State Police Merit Board
The Illinois State Police Merit Board exercises jurisdiction over the certification for appointment, promotion, discipline, removal/termination, demotion, and suspension of those appointed as Illinois State Police officers. The Merit Board is comprised of five members appointed by the Governor.
When the Illinois State Police Director files a complaint with the Merit Board requesting discipline exceeding 30-days or discharge from the department, the Merit Board appoints a hearing officer to conduct a public hearing. The hearing officer will listen to testimony and review evidence regarding the specific complaint. The complainant and witnesses may be subpoenaed to testify at such a hearing. The hearing officer will forward the findings to the Merit Board for consideration in its decision which is based on a preponderance of the evidence.
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Donotpay Can Help You Fight Online Harassment
If you cant seem to put an end to online harassment and the police cant do anything to help you, dont worryDoNotPay has got you covered. We understand just how frustrating it must be to be dealing with this problem, so we want to protect you and make sure you solve the problem in a few simple steps. When you rely on DoNotPay, heres what you need to do:
What Qualifies As Harassment
Another important thing you need to know about is whether something actually counts as harassment or not.
The legal definition of harassment can change in each state, so it is very important that you check the specific statutes within your local jurisdiction.
That being said, in most states harassment is usually defined as a misdemeanor, in which you are suffering discrimination, threats, direct danger to your wellbeing, and similar.In order to be able to claim harassment, you will need to prove two main things:
- Firstly, prove that you felt harassed due to something that was said or done to you
- Secondly, prove that what was said or done to you, was out of an intent to torment, scare, threaten, or embarrass you.
The penalty for the harassment will then depend on the type of harassment, the severity, the situation, and the state in which you are in.
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Upon Completion Of This Report Process You Will:
- See the words: âYour online police report has been submittedâ.
- You will then immediately receive a temporary police report file number and an email informing you that we have received your report and that it is pending review. A temporary file number will appear in this format: T11000999. Temporary file numbers cannot be used for insurance purposes.
- If you do not receive an email with a temporary file number, please check your Spam or Junk-Email folder.
- A police officer will review your report and either Approve, Reject or request additional follow-up information from you. You will be advised via email of the status of your report. Do not reply via email to any of these automated messages as these accounts are not monitored. Follow the directions provided on how to respond regarding your report.
- Once your report is approved, you will receive a permanent report number â this number appears in this format: 11-123456.
- Be able to print a copy of the police report to keep for your records only. This copy cannot be used for insurance purposes.
How To Deal With Harassment On Facebook
Did you know that, according to Statista, 77% of online harassment victims reported that they had been harassed via Facebook? If you find yourself in this situation, here are :
- Unfriend the abuser
- Block the person
- Report the person or their abusive posts
In case the offender starts bothering you in messages on Facebook, there are a few steps specific to that situation that you should take, including the following:
- Block messages from that person
- Report the threatening message
- Click on Ignore Messages
- Delete the conversation
If you decide to delete the conversation, dont forget to take a screenshot first so that you have proof of harassment for future use if need be.
Another useful thing you can do on Facebook is report harassment even if youre not the victim, but your friend is.
Facebook gives you an option to report posts that show hate speech, violence or harmful behavior, or sexually explicit content.
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Dont Know How To Stop Neighbor Harassment Let Donotpay Help You
If youre having trouble stopping neighbor harassment, you shouldnt hesitate to rely on DoNotPay to give you a hand. We understand how upset you must be, so weve created an efficient solution that will help you put an end to harassing behavior in just a few steps. Heres what you should do:
Not only is this letter important in making the person in question stop harassing you, but it can also serve as evidence if needed in the future. The cease and desist letter proves that you did your part of the job in trying to solve the issue before moving forward with the case.
Harassment From A Family Member Or Ex Romantic Partner
If you are being harassed online with threats of violence by someone who is a family member or with whom you had a romantic relationship, there are special laws to protect you. The laws fall under domestic violence and involve obtaining protection from abuse orders or other forms of specialized restraining orders. These orders normally come from a civil family court as opposed to through criminal court. Frequently, you can seek an emergency order if the threat is great enough. In these cases, your best bet is to speak with a family law attorney who handles protection from abuse orders in your jurisdiction. If you cannot afford an attorney, look into domestic violence groups near you. They can often guide you to low cost or free legal advice. You should also call the police under these kinds of situations.
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What About The Law
Many forms of adult cyber abuse could be considered illegal under state or federal legislation.
For example, under the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995 it is an offence to menace, harass or cause offence using a carriage service. It is also an offence under the Act to use a carriage service to make threats to kill or cause serious harm to a person, regardless of whether the person receiving the threat actually fears that the threat would be carried out.
These provisions could capture instances of menacing, harassing or offensive conduct and threats carried out using landlines, mobile phones and the internet, including via emails and social media.
An example would be using a mobile phone to repeatedly send offensive images to someone.
Most Australian states and territories also have laws covering stalking, blackmail, criminal defamation and various unlawful uses of technology. A number of jurisdictions have also passed laws creating offences for the threat to distribute, or distribution, of intimate images .
Save The Harassment Data
Depending on your phone, you may be able to take a “screenshot” of the data. If your phone is not capable of doing so, you can use a camera to take photos.
You will also want to “Lock” or “Protect” each harassing message. But you still must be sure to have backup copies in the event that something happens to your phone so your data is not lost.
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