You can file a complaint with DPA in several ways:

• Online: Complete the online complaint form at sfdpa.secure.force.com
• Phone: Call (415) 241-7711
• In Person at DPA: Visit our office at 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
• At any SFPD Station: File a complaint at any San Francisco Police Department station
• Mail: Send a written complaint to 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103

The DPA office is accessible by BART (just blocks from Civic Center BART Station) and MUNI (Routes 47 and 49 drop off on Van Ness Avenue).

Anyone can file a complaint with DPA. You can file about something that happened to you, or about something that happened to somebody else. You do not need to live in San Francisco, be a United States citizen, or speak English. Complaints may be submitted by anyone who witnesses or experiences alleged police misconduct.

When filing a complaint, please provide as much detail as possible, including:

• Date, time, and location of the incident
• Names or badge numbers of involved officers (if known)
• Description of what happened
• Names and contact information of witnesses
• Any photos, videos, or other evidence
• Your contact information (if you want updates)

Under California law, complaints must generally be filed within one year of the incident. However, we encourage you to file your complaint as soon as possible so that evidence and witness memories remain fresh.

No, there is no cost to file a complaint with DPA. All of our services are free.

No, you do not need a lawyer to file a complaint with DPA. The process is designed to be accessible to all community members. However, you have the right to consult with an attorney if you choose to do so.

The Department of Police Accountability has staff who speak Spanish, Tagalog, Mandarin, and Cantonese. We have language access services available for all other languages free of charge. Interpretation and translation services are available.

Yes, the DPA office is wheelchair accessible.

If you need ADA accommodations, please let us know when you file a complaint or contact our office.

You can file a complaint about any alleged misconduct or improper performance by San Francisco Police Department officers, including:

• Use of force
• Improper arrest or detention
• Illegal search or seizure
• Rude or unprofessional conduct
• Discrimination or biased policing
• Failure to provide service
• Any other violation of law or policy

Yes, you can file complaints about the San Francisco Sheriff's Office with DPA. DPA will accept and process Sheriff complaints until the Office of Inspector General (OSIG) is fully operational.

There are many different types of investigations (Criminal involving the District Attorney's office, Civil involving the city Attorney's office and Administrative.) DPA conducts administrative investigations, not criminal ones or civil. We investigate officers because they are City employees. We find out if they did their jobs correctly.

DPA: DPA is responsible for all reports of misconduct by SFPD officers and Sheriff's Office deputies, unless the misconduct is criminal in nature or involves a Public Service Aid.

District Attorney (DA): If the misconduct is criminal, file a complaint with the District Attorney's office.

Internal Affairs Division (IAD): If the complaint involves a Public Service Aid (non-sworn personnel), file with SFPD's Internal Affairs Division.

If you're unsure which agency to contact, you can call DPA at (415) 241-7711 and we can help direct you to the appropriate agency.

DPA does not handle:

• Criminal complaints: If an officer committed a crime, contact the District Attorney's office
• Public Service Aid complaints: If the complaint involves a Public Service Aid (non-sworn SFPD personnel), contact SFPD's Internal Affairs Division

For all other complaints about SFPD officers or Sheriff's Office deputies, DPA is the right place to file.

Your complaint helps us find out what went wrong and if officers are doing their jobs correctly. Our purpose is to hold officers accountable when they break the rules and to make things better for the future. We analyze complaints for patterns, and then use those patterns to change the rules/policies that officers have to follow.

Administrative investigations typically take nine months to a year, sometimes longer when there are legal extensions. It takes time to collect evidence and develop ways to improve policing.

The investigator might contact you for more information during the investigation. But the only update we can give is if the investigation is open or closed. When the investigation is closed, we will send a letter telling you the outcome.

We need to tell the officer about the complaint to investigate and question them. We will give them an opportunity to explain what they did and why. The officer's supervisor will also know about the complaint. You can file a complaint anonymously. Anonymous complaints will be treated with the same importance as any other complaint. However, the Police Commission has determined that anonymous complaints cannot be sustained without additional evidence.

The Police Department keeps body-worn camera footage and police incident reports. You can request these records from SFPD.

It is illegal for any officer to retaliate against you for filing a complaint. If you believe you are experiencing retaliation, please contact DPA immediately at (415) 241-7711. Retaliation is a serious violation and will be investigated.

DPA takes your privacy seriously and protects your personal information to the extent allowed by law. Your contact information and the details of your complaint are handled confidentially throughout the investigation process.

Our investigations are confidential because we investigate police officer personnel matters, and we cannot share most records with you or your attorney. The investigator can always give you copies of three things:

1. the complaint form
2. your recorded interview
3. the letter we send at the end of the investigation ("Findings Letter")

California has strict laws regarding all documents related to investigations of police. Among the laws are the Peace Officers Bill of Rights, as well as various state and federal employment restrictions on what can be disclosed.

Some of our most serious cases can be shared publicly because of the "Right to Know" law. The types of cases are officer-involved shootings and cases with serious injuries, excessive force, sexual assault, biased policing, dishonesty, illegal searches, and illegal arrests. We usually need to finish the investigation and remove personal information before we can share details from the file. Many of these cases are appealed after the investigation finishes, which means that it can be months or years before we are allowed to give you legally sanctioned and redacted, court-approved copies.

We send you and the officers involved a letter saying if the officers did their jobs correctly. If we find wrongdoing, we suggest that the officer be disciplined by the Chief. Sometimes we recommend that SFPD change the rules on what officers should do, or what they are allowed to do.

Depending on the seriousness of the wrongdoing, the officer can get an official warning from the Chief, be suspended, or lose their job.

DPA's jurisdiction is limited to outcomes from the investigation to see if an officer broke a rule. Our investigations are not part of your lawsuit or criminal case. When we find wrongdoing, it may not result in criminal charges against an officer, nor civil liability from any separate lawsuit.

You have the right to file a lawsuit in addition to filing a complaint with DPA. The two processes are separate and independent. Filing a DPA complaint does not affect your ability to file a lawsuit, and filing a lawsuit does not affect your DPA complaint. You may want to consult with an attorney about your legal options.

Sometimes we can arrange a mediation instead of an investigation. In mediation, you can talk to the officer about how his or her conduct harmed you, your family, or the community.

You can ask the investigator for a case review, so you can hear a summary of the investigation. Unfortunately, we are required to keep many details confidential, even after the investigation is done with narrow to specific circumstances. You can also send a letter to ask for an investigative hearing. The case will get another review and can be reopened - if you give us new information that you did not have before.