How do I file a criminal complaint against a law officer (how can I trust Internal Affairs)?
Internal affairs has nothing to do with filing a criminal complaint, internal affairs may be the people who investigate it but you will file your complaint with the police department, or the DA ofice, or if you live in a state that allows you to file a complaint directly with the court you can do that. But in the end, the DA office investigators or the police department investigators will do it, and you have no say in that.
It’s all according to the officers history. If he/she has had problems in the past then IA will definitely try a lot harder. However, all IA units will launch an investigation into any complaint. I knew an officer of 25 years who was accused of something he didn’t do, and he was suspended without pay until after the investigation. IA will normally side with the civilians more than they will officers. It’s like a rivalry in the police world.
