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Pocket Card: Complaining About Police

There is an arm's-length body that takes complaints about police conduct in Ontario. Who, how, and what it can do, on one card.

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Pocket Card
Ontario

If an officer treated you wrongly.

Who takes it
  • The Law Enforcement Complaints Agency: a civilian body, separate from the police service involved.
  • Death, serious injury, sexual assault, or a firearm fired at someone is the Special Investigations Unit, not this process.
Write down, then file
  • Date, time, place. The officer's name, badge or cruiser number, or a description.
  • What happened, step by step, in your words. Names of any witnesses.
  • Keep copies of everything. Note any photos, video, or medical records you have.
Do not wait
  • There is a time limit to complain. File as soon as you reasonably can.
  • Check the current limit on the agency's website before assuming you have missed it.
Be clear-eyed
  • It is a conduct process, not a way to win money or drop a charge.
  • What it reliably creates is an official record, useful for a lawsuit or a Charter argument.
printmag.org
General information, not legal advice. Ontario, 2026.