Police Complaints
Need to File a Complaint?
If you have experienced racial profiling, harassment, excessive force, false arrest, or other misconduct, here are a few ways you can take action. View the resources below for more information.
General Resources
- Call the Office of Police Complaints’ 24-hour hotline at (866) 588-0569
- Within 90 days, file a complaint with the Office of Police Complaints
- Within 6 months, submit a Notice of Claim to the Office of Risk Management, preserving your right to sue
- Contact the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, to see if they can provide legal help
- File a complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division
- Notify the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia that there has been a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242 and that you want the officer prosecuted to the fullest extent allowable under law
- Notify the Public Defender Service, to ensure defense attorneys are notified about the misconduct when that officer testifies against someone else.
- Get involved with DC Justice Lab and join our community-driven policy reform movement.
Resources for Protestors
- ACLU-DC’s guide for demonstrators in DC
- Contact the ACLU (intake@acludc.org)
- The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia Protest Hotline: (202) 824-2463