How to file a complaint against a Philly police officer
Filing a complaint against a Philadelphia police officer isn't as difficult as it may seem — and here are some people who can support you along the way if you do.
Did you know that if you’re not satisfied with the way a police officer interacted with you in Philadelphia, you can file a complaint against them? Yes, and you have a couple options to do so, now with the added assurance your complaint will be investigated.
Since Philadelphia voters decided to create a police oversight commission in 2020, the complaint process has been revamped and the commission is now in operation. It continues to see improvements like developing mediation procedures for low-level complaints and appointing civilians to the police review board that decides the outcome of complaints, according to Anthony Erace
“In the past, complaints against Philadelphia police officers sort of didn’t really go anywhere and you really couldn’t trust the process,” said Erace, acting executive director of the Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC). “What I would ask the public to do is to give this another try and realize that there is an oversight agency that is there to help and advocate for everyone in Philadelphia.”
CPOC is a new agency and is still rolling out its operations, but reforms have and will continue to be made to the police complaint process, Erace said.
Let’s break down how to file a police complaint and what happens behind the scenes after you do.
How to file a police complaint in Philly
You can file a police complaint online, in-person, or by email or mail. While you can file a complaint anonymously, providing as much information as possible — including your name and contact info — will give you the chance to provide more evidence and help the internal investigation later on. Additionally, you can file a complaint through CPOC and the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD).
A CPOC representative can be requested to accompany you during complaint filing, police interviews or any police interaction. After your complaint is filed and received by police Internal Affairs, you should be contacted for an interview within 90 days of Internal Affairs receiving the complaint, according to police policy.
How to file a police complaint with the Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC)
You can file a police complaint with CPOC online, by email or mail, or in-person. After they receive your complaint, a CPOC representative will contact you for a follow up interview before sending it to Internal Affairs. For questions or help, call 215-685-0891 or visit the 11th floor of 1515 Arch Street.
Online: Fill out this form (For a translated version of this form, select your preferred language by clicking the 🌐 icon in the top-right corner of the page).
Email: Download and fill out this form, then email it to cpoc@phila.gov (For a translated version of this form, email cpoc@phila.gov and they will send you a PDF version in your preferred language).
Mail or In-person: Download and fill out this form, then mail it or bring it to 1515 Arch Street, 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (For a translated version of this form, email cpoc@phila.gov and they will send you a PDF version for you to print out in your preferred language or visit their offices).
How to file a police complaint with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD)
You can file a police complaint with PPD online or in-person at any police district station and at PPD’s Internal Affairs HQ. For a translated version of the complaint form — available in Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese — you need to visit a police district station or Internal Affairs HQ in person.
Online: Fill out this form (Only available in English).
In-person: File a complaint at any police district station (doesn’t have to be where the incident happened) or at Internal Affair’s HQ at 7790 Dungan Road, Suite #7770, Philadelphia, PA 19111 (Translated complaint forms and translation services available).
What happens after you file a police complaint?
Whether you go to the police oversight commission or directly to the police department, filing a complaint will look similar.
That complaint is sent to the PPD’s Internal Affairs Division for investigation (as the oversight commission expands, they will also conduct their own investigations in the future).
Investigators should always contact you for an interview and the other parties involved to gather information, according to police policy. Internal Affairs has 90 days to complete their investigation. However if additional time is needed, investigators can request it.
Once Internal Affairs completes their investigation, the Police Board of Inquiry (PBI) will hold an administrative review for investigators to share the evidence of the case and for the PBI to make a recommendation of discipline. As of 2022, a CPOC representative sits on the panel — which is major reform, according to Erace.
When PBI hands down a decision, that recommendation will be sent to Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw’s office to approve, deny or adjust the disciplinary action. CPOC works with PBI’s “Charging Unit” to make sure disciplinary action is appropriately applied.
You should always be contacted to receive information on the outcome of the complaint.
Keep in mind, though the Internal Affairs has 90 days to complete their investigation, the entire review and disciplinary process could take much longer — even months to years in some cases. However, the complaint review system may speed up as CPOC begins to build out its workforce.
What are the outcomes of a police complaint?
The range of outcomes for a police complaint can be from criminal charges being filed against the police officer — which turns into criminal investigation — to no punitive action taken against the officer because no policy violation was found. It all depends on the evidence gathered by investigators.
“If you’re an officer, you get a truly fair shake,” Erace said of the review process. “If you didn’t do it, you don’t get punished for it — if you did it, you do.”
Now, there’s also mediation services available through CPOC for low-level complaints. If you and the officer agree to a sit-down chat, you can work to resolve the issues in your complaint.
However, if an investigation does happen and the PBI finds the officers violated policy, penalties can include:
Verbal reprimanding (a warning that behavior was not in compliance with departmental standards and additional training may be involved. Verbal reprimands are documented on police officer’s records).
Change of officer duties (a transfer to a different district or assignment within the district).
Suspension
Termination from the police force
Once a complaint is resolved and decision has been passed down, you can’t appeal the decision — the case will be closed.
“I‘m not (going to) lie and tell you that a lot of people aren’t dissatisfied with their outcomes,” Erace said of the decision process. “But the the reality is that’s a part of what we’re doing as a new agency, and what we’re going to be doing is try to create processes that are legitimate.”