Police Misconduct

Police Misconduct and Use of Excessive Force by Police

Police are authorized to use the reasonable force necessary to affect a lawful law enforcement function. However, police may not use excessive force. Doing so may be a violation of departmental policy or criminal law.

Once we receive a complaint, the Attorney General’s Office will forward it to the relevant police department for investigation, in coordination with our Office. The process is explained in detail in the Attorney General’s Protocol for the Review of Incidents Involving the Use of Deadly Force, Excessive Force and Custodial Death.

We also encourage you to file a complaint directly with the police department in question. You can find contact information for each department’s office of professional conduct on the individual department’s web site.

To report civil rights violations, hate crimes, or incidents of police misconduct or excessive use of force, file a complaint online or call (401) 274-4400 [option 4].