File a complaint

What you can complain about

To make a complaint about the police you need to have witnessed the incident you want to complain about yourself or been directly affected by it.

If you know or suspect that an officer or member of police staff is doing something that does not seem right, please tell us.

Complaints about people

You can make a complaint about a police officer, staff member, or volunteer if you:

• Experienced inappropriate behavior from them - for example, if you felt they were rude or aggressive to you
• Saw them acting inappropriately - for example, you saw them drinking alcohol on duty
• Have been negatively affected by their conduct - for example, you were watching an interaction between police and members of the public, and you saw officers behave in a way that you felt was inappropriate and this upset you
• Believe they are taking advantage of their role and abusing their power

Complaints about corruption and abuse of power

You can make a complaint about a police officer or member of police staff who, on or off duty:

• Takes money or favors in exchange for information or making things happen
• Uses their job for their own gain
• Takes advantage of their position as a member of the police service to misuse their position, authority or powers in order to pursue a sexual or improper emotional relationship with any member of the public
• Is abusive or controlling with their partner or family
• Is racist or misogynistic, on or off duty, in person or online

Complaints about standards

You can complain about how a police force is run. For example, you can complain about policing standards or policing policy.

Time limit

There's no time limit for making a complaint about the police, but if you complain about something that happened more than 12 months ago, we'll ask you to tell us why you didn’t complain sooner.

Incidents you've seen on TV or social media

You can't make a complaint about something you've seen the police do on TV or social media or heard about from another person. This is because you haven't witnessed the incident yourself or been directly affected by it.

A citizen who wishes to make a complaint against a member of the department should contact our department and ask to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor can take the complaint and forward it to the proper supervisor for further investigation.

You can contact Effingham Police Department to make a complaint:

• In person at the Police Department
• By phone 217-347-0774
• Submit the form below to have a supervisor contact you