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

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. The federal appeals court that covers Texas has held that there is a First Amendment right to record the police, subject to reasonable time, place and manner limits (Turner v. Driver, 2017).
• 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 Texas 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

For the head of a local police department or sheriff's office to consider your complaint, it generally must be in writing and signed by you (Government Code 614.022), and a copy goes to the officer (614.023). These rules do not apply where officers are covered by a union or meet-and-confer agreement that sets its own complaint and discipline rules (Government Code 614.021). Ask the agency which rules apply. You do not have to be the person who was harmed to file. Every agency must also tell the public how its compliment and complaint process works, and each ticket, citation or warning must come with a phone number, mailing address and email address for compliments or complaints. Agencies must also have a way to file a complaint about racial profiling (Code of Criminal Procedure 2B.0053).

In some civil service cities, including Houston and Austin, an officer generally cannot be questioned about a complaint unless the person who filed it swears to it before a notary or other official (Local Government Code 143.123 for Houston, 143.312 for some other large cities). Ask the agency what its rules are. Some offices, like Houston's, will help you with the affidavit. A sworn complaint is a statement under oath. Knowingly making a false statement under oath to deceive someone is perjury under Texas law (Penal Code 37.02), but an honest mistake is not. Stick to what you saw and heard, and say when you are unsure of a detail.

2. A city oversight office

• Austin: the Office of Police Oversight takes complaints online, by phone, by mail or in person. It accepts anonymous complaints but says it may be limited in what it can do unless the complaint is sworn.
• Dallas: the Office of Community Police Oversight takes complaints online, by email, by mail or in person, including at any police station. You have 30 days from the Internal Affairs final letter to ask for an independent review.
• Houston: the Office of Policing Reform and Accountability takes complaints online, by email, by phone, by mail or by appointment. A formal investigation needs a notarized affidavit, and the office helps with it.
• San Antonio: SAPD Internal Affairs takes complaints online, by phone or in person. Formal complaints are sworn and notarized.

3. TCOLE, for licensing violations

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement licenses officers. It handles violations related to licensing, training, certification and appointment, and it must revoke the license of an officer convicted of a felony. It does not handle matters such as rudeness, unprofessional conduct or improper investigations. TCOLE says to send those to the officer's agency, and, if the agency does not respond or handles the complaint improperly, to the body that oversees it, such as the city manager, school board or county commissioners court. Since 2023, agencies must report the results of misconduct investigations to TCOLE, and an investigation cannot be ended just because the officer resigns or retires.

• TCOLE complaint procedures: the form and where to email it.

4. Prosecutors, the Texas Rangers or the FBI, if a crime was committed

TCOLE advises taking criminal allegations to the county or district attorney or the Texas Rangers, and says the FBI may investigate civil rights violations. In Texas, the local county or district attorney decides whether to bring criminal charges. The Attorney General can take part in a local criminal case only with the local prosecutor's consent (State v. Stephens, 2021).

What happens after I file a police complaint?

• The officer sees it: a copy of your signed complaint generally must be given to the officer, and the officer generally cannot be disciplined unless that happens (Government Code 614.023).
• Evidence is required: an officer cannot be suspended indefinitely or fired over a complaint unless it is investigated and there is evidence to prove the misconduct (Government Code 614.023).
• 180-day rule in civil service cities: in most civil service cities, the department head generally cannot suspend or fire an officer for something that happened more than 180 days earlier (Local Government Code 143.052). Houston follows different but similar time limits (Local Government Code 143.117 and 143.119). Houston's oversight office urges filing within 180 days. If you face criminal charges from the encounter, consider talking to your defense lawyer before you file.

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

In civil service cities, the time limits above make speed important. If you face criminal charges from the encounter, consider talking to your defense lawyer before you file.

The deadlines for money damages are strict:

• Notice of claim: under the Texas Tort Claims Act, give the government written notice of the injury, the time and place, and the incident within six months of the incident. A city charter can set a shorter period (Civil Practice and Remedies Code 101.101).
• Lawsuit for personal injury: within two years (Civil Practice and Remedies Code 16.003).

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 Texas Public Information Act. People often call it a FOIA request, but for Texas agencies it is a public information request.

• Response time: the agency must release information promptly. If it cannot within 10 business days, it must tell you in writing when it will. To withhold information, it generally must ask the Attorney General for a ruling by the 10th business day, unless the law or an earlier Attorney General decision already lets it withhold that kind of information. If it misses that deadline, the information is presumed open unless there is a compelling reason to withhold it.
• Discipline records: in civil service cities, the civil service file, which holds sustained discipline, is the public file. The department's own internal file is not released (Local Government Code 143.089).
• Body camera video: the request must give the date and approximate time, the specific location, and the name of at least one person who was recorded (Code of Criminal Procedure 2B.0112). For body camera video, the agency has until the 20th business day, not the 10th, to ask the Attorney General for a ruling (2B.0113). Video of a use of deadly force, or video tied to an investigation of an officer, generally is not released to the public until the criminal case and any related internal investigation are finished. In some cases the agency can release it sooner, or let the person shown in it watch it (2B.0111).

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 notice of claim deadline goes fast, and a city charter can make it shorter. 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.