An act of police misconduct is nothing more than vigilantism. In fact, there is no difference between a police officer beating someone they suspect might have committed a crime as a form of “street justice” or you beating someone up if you suspect they committed a crime.
When the world sees acts of police brutality, it evokes a strong reaction on several levels for most people. It makes us fear what police could do to us, it makes us wonder at the kinds of people we entrust with the power to enforce our laws, it causes us to question whether our justice system is still just, and it creates a sense of outrage that a person can get away with a crime just because of their chosen occupation.
Needless to say, there are numerous reasons why videotaped images of a 15-year-old girl being attacked by King County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Schene sparked strong emotions across the globe. It also takes little effort to understand the outrage the video of Oscar Grant’s death created when it made it into the public square.
So strong, in fact, that the lawyers for Schene and Mehserle both reported that those officers, their families, and the lawyers themselves began to receive death threats after the stories went public.
But… what does it make any of us if we lower ourselves to the same level as an officer who we believe has committed a crime when we seek to circumvent the law and threaten the lives of those officers, their families, and those who’s job it is to defend them in court?
Does it not make us exactly the same as those officers when we stoop to their level and try to be judge, jury, and executioner just like they did?
After all, how just is it when we seek to answer an injustice with injustice?
Aside from the ethical considerations, making threats against officers accused of misconduct is ultimately counterproductive on a number of levels… worst of all these is that it gives police unions the ammunition they need to pressure legislators into enacting new laws that let them hide acts of misconduct and escape justice without any public scrutiny…
In other words, threatening officers such as Paul Schene and Johannes Mehserle not only makes you the same as they are… it gives the future Schenes and Mehserles the ability to do the same things those officers are accused of without the fear of being caught…
Threatening officers accused of misconduct creates more misconduct, not less. It creates more injustice, not less. It gives them more power, not less.
It is, ultimately, wrongheaded to seek to become that which you seek to fight. Just as it is wrong for a police officer to resort to illegal tactics in the course of their job, it is wrong for us to resort to illegal tactics to answer those acts of injustice. In other words, it is wrong for us to become them in answer to what they have done.
So, for any of you out there who might think about threatening an officer who was accused of misconduct, or their families, or their lawyers…. please don’t, because all that will accomplish is to create more monsters and make it harder for us to spot acts of misconduct… not to mention that it turns you into the very same monster that you seek to fight.
Don’t believe me? Just see what happened in Baltimore when an officer received threats after a video of him attacking a teenager was released to the public.
Sure, the system as it is might let all these officers get away with such upsetting acts… but the answer is to fix the system so that they are treated like any of us are when we stand accused, not think yourself above it like those officers did when they broke the law under the guise of enforcing it.
If you think otherwise, you might as well put on one of their uniforms now, because you’re more like them than you’ll ever know.
Here’s some information on how to file legal action against a group or a single officer as well as prison or jail. Read this information carefully, as from experience local attorneys that have lived in the area all there life sometimes will try to get you to settle out of court in order to protect his legal career as well as his own family. You must consider the worth of damage as well as things taken from you is the worth of having to suffer even more if certain agencies are as corrupt to the point to killing any rivals that may hurt there income there use to for years.
Complaints about Institutions
What you should know before filing a complaint about an Institution:
1. The Special Litigation Section can only investigate institutions run by, or on behalf of, state and local governments. This means that the Section cannot investigate federal institutions (such as federal prisons, INS detention centers, or Veterans Administration Hospitals) or institutions that are strictly private facilities (such as private nursing homes). Complaints regarding federal institutions may be directed elsewhere. There are often state or local government agencies that have jurisdiction to investigate complaints regarding private facilities.
2. The Section cannot represent individuals in court or in any other proceeding (including parole board hearing, lawsuits, or criminal trials).
3. The Section’s work is directed at obtaining broad reform of conditions in institutions. We do not have authority to remedy problems for particular individuals or seek money on behalf of individuals.
4. The Special Litigation Section does not bring criminal cases against those who violate the civil rights of residents. Criminal complaints can be made to the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division.
5. The Section is authorized to take action only if there is a pattern or practice of illegal conduct. While we do collect information about specific incidents in order to determine whether there may be a pattern or practice that warrants investigation, we do not have authority to investigate or remedy individual complaints about a particular incident.
Even if your complaint falls outside the authority of the Special Litigation Section, there may be other agencies that could help you. A partial list of other federal agencies that respond to similar complaints is listed below.
How to File a Complaint:
The most effective means of filing a complaint is to write a letter to the Section explaining the situation about which you are complaining, with as much detail as possible. If you are aware of similar incidents involving others, please include that information as well. Please include information on how to contact you if we need further information (such as an address and telephone number). Also, do not include original documents as we cannot guarantee their safe return. Address all complaints to:
Special Litigation Section
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Special Litigation Section
Washington, D.C. 20530
The Section can also be reached by telephone (202-514-6255 or toll-free at 877-218-5228) or fax (202-514-0212 or 202-514-6273).
Jails and Prisons:
Immigration and Naturalization Service — complaints about conditions in INS detention facilities.
U.S. Bureau of Prisons — complaints about conditions in federal prisons.
U.S. Marshals Service — complaints about conditions of confinement for federal inmates awaiting trial. Complaints about Law Enforcement Agencies
What you should know before filing a complaint about a Law Enforcement Agency:
1. The Section has authority to investigate only state and local law enforcement agencies. This means that the Section cannot investigate federal law enforcement agencies (such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations or Drug Enforcement Administration). Complaints regarding federal law enforcement agencies may be directed elsewhere.
2. The Special Litigation Section does not bring criminal cases against those who violate the civil rights of citizens. Criminal complaints can be made to the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division.
3. The Section is authorized to take action only if there is a pattern or practice of illegal conduct. While we do collect information about specific incidents in order to determine whether there may be a pattern or practice that warrants investigation, we do not have authority to investigate or remedy individual complaints about a particular incident.
Even if your complaint falls outside the authority of the Special Litigation Section, there may be other agencies that could help you. A partial list of other federal agencies that respond to similar complaints is listed below.
How to File a Complaint:
The most effective means of filing a complaint is to write a letter to the Section explaining the situation about which you are complaining, with as much detail as possible. If you are aware of similar incidents involving others, please include that information as well. Please include information on how to contact you if we need further information (such as an address and telephone number). Also, do not include original documents as we cannot guarantee their safe return. Address all complaints to:
Special Litigation Section
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Special Litigation Section
Washington, D.C. 20530
The Section can also be reached by telephone (202-514-6255 or toll-free at 877-218-5228) or fax (202-514-0212 or 202-514-6273).
Answers to other frequently asked questions about the complaint process can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Other Agencies:
Federal Law Enforcement Agencies:
Civil Rights Division’s Coordination and Review Section — complaints about federal law enforcement officers (FBI, DEA, Customs Service, Border Patrol, etc.) can be made to the Coordination and Review Section and will be forwarded to the appropriate federal agency for review.
Federal Bureau of Investigation — complaints regarding criminal violations of individuals’ federal civil rights.
Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section — complaints regarding criminal violations of individuals’ federal civil rights.
Individual Complaints:
Civil Rights Division’s Coordination and Review Section — individual complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion by State and local law enforcement agencies that receive financial assistance from the Department of Justice.
Americans with Disabilities Act Home Page — individual complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of disability.
Federal Bureau of Investigation — complaints regarding criminal violations of individuals’ federal civil rights.
Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section — complaints regarding criminal violations of individuals’ federal civil rights.
Other:
Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section — complaints about discriminatory employment practices by state or local law enforcement agencies.
Return to Special Litigation Section Home Page
Access Act Complaints
What you should know before filing a complaint about access to a reproductive health clinic or places of religious worship:
1. The Special Litigation Section enforces the civil, not the criminal, provisions of the Access Act. This means that the Section is authorized to bring suits seeking court orders to prohibit specific acts and to seek fines and statutory damages, but does not criminally prosecute those who violate the criminal provisions of the statute. Criminal complaints can be made elsewhere.
2. The Section is not authorized to represent individuals, although Access Act cases brought by the Section may seek statutory damages that will be given to the obstructed clinic or place of worship.
How to File a Complaint:
The most effective means of filing a complaint is to write a letter to the Section explaining the situation about which you are complaining, with as much detail as possible. Please include information on how to contact you if we need further information (such as an address and telephone number). Also, do not include original documents as we cannot guarantee their safe return. Address all complaints to:
Special Litigation Section
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Special Litigation Section
Washington, D.C. 20530
The Section can also be reached by telephone (202-514-6255 or toll-free at 877-218-5228) or fax (202-514-0212 or 202-514-6273).
Answers to other frequently asked questions about the complaint process can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Other Agencies:
Federal Bureau of Investigation — complaints regarding criminal violations of the Access Act.
Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section — complaints regarding criminal violations of the Access Act.
