Civil Rights Violation Complaint and ?

[Miss_Cherokee]

The details are too arduous to state here but How does a citizen file a civil rights complaint against a law enforcement agent ? Do you file a complaint with the local district attorney?What agency or avenues does the average citizen have recourse to when a civil right law has been broken by a law enforcement officer concerning said average citizen? Where does one go to lodge such a complaint?I know this question is generalizing without much detail, but generally speaking. Does one have to file a complaint with the Department of Justice? What would contstitue sufficient evidence to lodge such a complaint and to whom ? Thank You.

 

[fredrikklaw]

It's Federal!

(I am presuming here that by "agent" you are referring to a police officer.)

To merely air your grievance about a police officer, you can go directly to his prescient (station/division) and talk to his sergeant. To go a step further, download a Citizen's Complaint form from the police department's website and file a proper complaint which will be reviewed by the Internal Affairs Department and you will be notified of the outcome in due course.

If, however, you feel that the wrong which was inflicted on you by the officer was severe enough to amount to a civil rights violation and are looking for a legal remedy, then neither the district attorney's office nor the Justice Department will be of any good to you. Not that they would entertain such a complaint in the first place, anyway; or the state courts for that matter.

Allegations and claims of Civil Rights Violations are basically (claims of) violations of an individual's Constitutional Rights, and that will take you out of state and into the Federal court system. In short, you will have to file a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court that has jurisdiction to deal with matters arising under the Constitution.

fredrikklaw

 

[Sunday_Soprano]

Contact the ACLU .... theres one for the country and the state you live in

 

[CdwJava]

The details are too arduous to state here but How does a citizen file a civil rights complaint against a law enforcement agent ? Do you file a complaint with the local district attorney?What agency or avenues does the average citizen have recourse to when a civil right law has been broken by a law enforcement officer concerning said average citizen? Where does one go to lodge such a complaint?I know this question is generalizing without much detail, but generally speaking. Does one have to file a complaint with the Department of Justice? What would contstitue sufficient evidence to lodge such a complaint and to whom ? Thank You.

It depends on the process that is in place in your state and locality.

Typically, a personnel complaint is filed with the agency, and a federal civil rights violation is reported to the FBI. However, most people confuse the concept of a "civil rights" violation with improper actions by the officer. Not all acts of unprofessionalism or even unlawful behavior will rise to the level of a civil rights violation.

If you are considering a lawsuit, then you should consult an attorney. In general, if the attorney does cartwheels and agrees to take the matter on contingency (i.e. he gets his cut from an award at the ned), then you likely have a decent case. If he wants to be paid up front, chances are your case is a tad weak.

- Carl

 

[Zena_Crenshaw]

Hello:

I administer an organization that's monitoring the responsiveness of the Civil Rights Division Criminal Section of the U.S. Justice Department.

Please if you would, let us know about your experience pursuing help from federal authorities on this matter.

Thank you,
Zena Crenshaw Logal,
Executive Director
POPULAR, Inc.