Citizens’ Complaints Against Peace Officers

By Robert Phillips, Deputy District Attorney (Ret).

For a citizen’s complaint against a peace officer to be accepted and investigated, the citizen must first read and sign an acknowledgment that the filing of a false citizen complaint is a crime. 

One legislatively imposed means by which we keep law enforcement honest and discourage the use of excessive force is the availability of the citizen’s complaint process.  (See Pen. Code § 832.5.) California law requires law enforcement agencies to accept and investigate complaints made by private citizens against peace officers. (Subd. (a)(1) of P.C. § 832.5)  Recognizing that complaints from the public must all be investigated, and that the results of any such investigation are to be retained by ....

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