How does DOJ obtain information about police misconduct?
The Department has received thousands of complaints and referrals asking us to investigate alleged police misconduct. This information comes from a wide variety of sources: individuals; organizations and advocacy groups working on police and civil rights issues; attorneys and parties in civil litigation involving police departments; individual officers or their representatives; prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys; judges; investigative reports regarding police departments by academics, review panels, and journalists; referrals from the FBI or other parts of the Civil Rights Division; inquiries from members of Congress and other federal officials; and requests for a civil rights review from police departments or jurisdictions themselves. The Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division is charged with reviewing and investigating allegations of a pattern or practice of police misconduct, in coordination with the U.S. Attorneys’ offices.
