1. Learn about making an informal complaint

If you have a less serious complaint, think about going to the police station to make an informal complaint. You can work directly with the police there to deal with your complaint. This is called Local Response.

Every police station has a police office who handles less serious complaints.

Here are a few examples of issues that may be right for Local Response, the officer:

  • was not polite
  • did not do something they were supposed to do
  • caused minor damage to your personal property

To find out if your complaint is suitable for Local Response, read more about it.

Matters that are resolved through Local Response are not considered formal complaints.

Resolving your informal complaint

The officer may try to resolve your complaint in different ways. For example, the officer might:

  • talk to you in person
  • help you speak with the officers involved
  • arrange for you to meet with the officers involved
  • arrange for a person not involved in the event to join the meeting to help resolve the complaint

The police must try to resolve your complaint within 15 days.

If your complaint is resolved through Local Response, you do not need to do anything else. The officer sends a report of the Local Response to the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA).

If the police need more than 15 days, they can ask LECA for more time. If they still cannot resolve it, the police must forward your complaint to LECA.

LECA deals with your matter as a formal complaint.

You do not have to use Local Response. You can decide to file a formal complaint. You can also file a formal complaint with LECA after a Local Response if you're not happy with the results.

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