How do I file a complaint against a police officer in Michigan?

What should I do right after a bad police encounter?

The first hours matter most, because details fade and evidence gets lost.

• Write it all down now: the date, time and exact location, what was said, and the officers' names, badge numbers, patrol car numbers and agency.
• Save your video and photos: back them up somewhere other than your phone. In June 2026, the Michigan Court of Appeals held there is a constitutional right to film government officials doing their duties in public, but that you must follow a lawful order to keep a reasonable distance (People v. Van Net). Michigan's eavesdropping law bars recording other people's private conversations without consent.
• Get witnesses: names, phone numbers and what each person saw.
• Document injuries: photograph them over several days, get medical care, and keep every record and bill.
• Keep your paperwork: any citation, property receipt, report number or business card an officer gave you.

Justice Sentinel lets you record these details as soon as possible after the encounter, so your notes, times and evidence are already in one place when you file.

Where do I file a complaint against a Michigan police officer?

You can file in more than one place. Many people start with the agency and add the others that fit.

1. The officer's own agency

The Michigan Attorney General says most agencies have internal procedures to investigate citizen complaints, and if you cannot get a resolution, to contact the county prosecuting attorney. We did not find a statewide law that sets one procedure for how agencies handle complaints, so ask for the agency's procedure. A formal complaint matters for video: body camera recordings relevant to a formal complaint must be kept at least three years (MCL 780.316).

• Michigan State Police: its online misconduct complaint form goes to the Professional Standards Section, which generally finishes within 90 days and tells you when it is done.

2. A city oversight office

• Detroit: the Board of Police Commissioners' Office of the Chief Investigator takes non-criminal complaints in person, at any precinct, by mail or by fax. You can file at any time, but if more than a year has passed since the incident, the Chief Investigator decides whether there is a reasonable basis to investigate. Someone else can file for you. The police department's complaint policy also accepts anonymous and third-party complaints.
• Grand Rapids: the Office of Oversight and Public Accountability takes complaints online (grandrapidsopa.siviltech.com), by phone at (616) 456-4672, by email at OPA@grcity.us, or in person, and anyone, including family and witnesses, can file. The police department's Internal Affairs Unit investigates the complaint. You can also file directly with Internal Affairs at (616) 456-3480. The city's complaint pages do not list a deadline for filing.
• Ann Arbor: the Independent Community Police Oversight Commission takes complaints online or in person, for yourself or for others.

3. Discrimination by police

If you were treated differently because of race, sex, religion, disability or another protected trait, you can file with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights within 180 days. Law enforcement is one of the areas it covers.

• File with the Department of Civil Rights: its online portal and other ways to file.

4. An officer's state license

The Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) licenses officers. It must revoke a license for fraud in getting it, for a conviction punishable by more than a year in prison, or for listed offenses such as domestic assault and stalking (MCL 28.609). Excessive force or other misconduct is not by itself a ground for revocation under current law, and MCOLES does not describe a way for the public to complain to it.

5. Shootings and crimes

The Attorney General reviews officer-involved shootings for possible crimes when a county prosecutor or police agency asks, and the Michigan State Police send all of their own officers' shootings to it. If you believe an officer committed a crime, contact the county prosecuting attorney.

What happens after I file a police complaint?

• Detroit: the Office of the Chief Investigator mails you a copy within 7 days, investigations can take up to 90 days, and you are told the finding in writing. You can appeal the finding.
• Grand Rapids: if your complaint was about force, lying, civil rights or bias, you can appeal the Internal Affairs decision to the Civilian Appeal Board within 14 calendar days after the decision is mailed. The board cannot impose discipline.

Is there a deadline to file a police complaint in Michigan?

Detroit's Office of the Chief Investigator sets no firm deadline for the complaint itself, though it may decline to investigate a complaint filed more than a year after the incident, and Grand Rapids' complaint pages do not list one. Filing sooner helps, since most body camera video must be kept only 30 days. If you face criminal charges from the encounter, consider talking to your defense lawyer before you file.

The deadlines for money damages:

• Claims against the State: for personal injury or property damage, file a signed claim or notice of intent, verified under oath (for example, before a notary), with the Court of Claims clerk within six months of the event; for other claims, within one year after the claim accrues (MCL 600.6431).
• Assault, battery, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution: two years (MCL 600.5805).
• Misconduct by a sheriff or sheriff's deputy: two years (MCL 600.5805).
• Other injury to a person or property: three years (MCL 600.5805).

Federal civil rights lawsuits follow different rules. A lawyer can tell you which deadlines apply to you.

How do I get police reports, records and body camera video?

Ask under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Put the word FOIA in the subject line or first lines of your request.

• Response time: the agency must respond within five business days, and can extend once by up to 10 more. You can appeal a denial in writing using the word "appeal," or sue within 180 days (MCL 15.235, 15.240).
• Discipline records: police personnel records are exempt from FOIA unless the public interest in disclosure outweighs the public interest in keeping them private in that particular case. If the agency withholds a record, the agency has to show that it is exempt (MCL 15.243(1)(s)(ix); MCL 15.240(4)).
• Body camera video: recordings made in a private place are exempt from FOIA. The person recorded, someone whose property was seized or damaged in a related crime, a parent of either if they are under 18, a legal guardian, or a lawyer for either can still ask for a copy, but other legal exemptions can still block its release (MCL 780.313, 780.314). Agencies keep evidentiary recordings at least 30 days, and three years if they relate to a formal complaint.

Justice Sentinel can generate a records request letter asking for the incident and arrest reports, body and dash camera video, dispatch logs and use-of-force reports from your incident.

When should I talk to a lawyer?

Talk to a lawyer soon if you were injured, arrested or charged, had property taken or damaged, or lost a family member, or if you think you may want money damages. The six-month deadline for injury and property-damage claims against the State, and the 180-day limit for a civil rights complaint, go fast. If you face criminal charges from the encounter, consider talking to your defense lawyer before you file a complaint, because what you write could come up in your case. Legal aid offices, lawyer referral services and civil rights organizations can help you find one.

How does Justice Sentinel help you file a police complaint?

Justice Sentinel is a civil rights app that helps people document police encounters and turn what happened into a formal misconduct complaint, a public records request or a court declaration signed under penalty of perjury. You can start a draft for free; the filing-ready PDF, delivery and declaration review are paid options.

• Document the encounter: answer guided questions about what happened, and the app organizes your account, times, people and evidence.
• Misconduct complaint: a formal complaint about an officer or department, written in clear, official language, that puts your account on the record with the agency, oversight bodies or investigators.
• Public records request: a request for the incident and arrest reports, dispatch logs, use-of-force reports and messages about your incident, and body and dash camera video in states where it is a public record.
• Court declaration: a written statement of the facts that you sign under penalty of perjury. Our team reviews it for completeness and formatting and returns it to you, as a paid option. Courts have their own rules for declarations, so check them, or give it to your attorney, before you file it.
• File it yourself or have it sent: start free with a draft, then choose a paid option: download a filing-ready PDF and send it yourself, or have your complaint and records request delivered for you to the agency you choose, with tracking.
• Proof of delivery: when the agency's mail server confirms it received a complaint or records request we sent for you, you get a Certificate of Service recording when, where and what was sent, which your attorney can use as proof of delivery.
• Agency directory: look up thousands of US law enforcement agencies and start a complaint against the right one.
• Encrypted attorney messaging: if your attorney also uses Justice Sentinel, messages between the two of you in its end-to-end encrypted channel are sealed in your browser before they are sent, so Justice Sentinel can't read them.