Complaints Against Police Officers

If you have a complaint against a police officer, you should first direct your concern to the local law enforcement agency. Each law enforcement agency in the state is required to establish a procedure to investigate citizens' complaints under section 832.5 of the Penal Code. A written description of this procedure is available from all law enforcement agencies. If resolution cannot be obtained through this procedure, you should contact the district attorney's office in the county which has jurisdiction over the police agency, or the grand jury in that county. Most complaints against a law enforcement agency can be resolved locally by contacting the above mentioned agencies.

If these agencies do not act on your complaint within a reasonable amount of time, you may write to the Attorney General's Office. Complaints directed to the Attorney General by California citizens should include the details of contacts made with the police agency, the district attorney or the grand jury in an attempt to resolve the issue. A report which does not contain specific information about misconduct that violates state law cannot be acted upon.