To report police misconduct anonymously, submit a written complaint to the officer’s department, a civilian oversight board, the FBI, the DOJ Civil Rights Division, the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, or your state attorney general, without your name attached. Most of these agencies accept anonymous reports. The catch is that investigators cannot come back to you for clarification, so the report has to stand on its own detail from the moment it arrives.
Pull Your Facts Together First
An anonymous complaint lives or dies on specifics. Before you write anything, organize what you know in chronological order.
Start with the incident’s basics: exact date and time, specific location (intersection, address, precinct), and the agency the officer works for. If you caught a name or badge number, include both. If not, describe the officer in enough detail that internal records can narrow the pool: gender, approximate age, height, build, hair color, distinguishing features like tattoos or glasses. A patrol car number or unit designation helps more than a physical description, because departments track vehicle assignments.
Then write what happened, step by step. Stick to what you directly saw or heard. Describe the specific conduct: an unjustified use of force, an illegal search, a racial slur, a refusal to identify when asked. Avoid conclusions like “the officer was racist” without describing the behavior behind that reading. Investigators assess conduct against policy and law, so concrete actions give them something to work with.
List witnesses with whatever identifying details you have: where they stood, what they looked like, whether they were recording. Mention evidence that exists outside your account: surveillance cameras at nearby businesses, your own photos or video, injuries you observed. The more independently verifiable your report is, the less your anonymity matters to the outcome.
You do not need to name the exact legal violation. But it can help to know that federal law makes it a crime for a law enforcement officer to willfully deprive someone of their constitutional rights, which covers excessive force, unlawful searches and seizures, false arrests, and deliberately denying medical care in custody.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 242 – Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law Plain description of the behavior is enough.
Where to Send the Complaint
You have several channels. The right one depends on who the officer works for and whether you are reporting one incident or something you believe is a pattern. Filing with more than one agency is allowed.
The Department’s Internal Affairs Division
The most direct option is the department’s own Internal Affairs. DOJ guidelines on internal affairs standards say departments should accept complaints from all sources, and most major departments in the United States accept anonymous ones.2U.S. Department of Justice. Standards and Guidelines for Internal Affairs Most agencies post a complaint form online and also accept reports by phone, mail, or in person at any precinct, not just the one where the officer works.
The advantage is speed and direct jurisdiction. The downside is that you are asking a department to investigate its own people.
A Civilian Oversight Board
Many cities have established independent civilian agencies with authority to investigate complaints against officers. These boards operate separately from the police department and are typically staffed by non-police investigators. Check your city or county’s government website to see whether one exists locally. Their independence from the department chain of command makes them a meaningful alternative to Internal Affairs, particularly for use-of-force complaints.
The FBI
The FBI investigates civil rights violations by law enforcement officers, including excessive force, sexual misconduct, and deliberate indifference to someone’s safety in custody. Submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov or contact your nearest field office.3Federal Bureau of Investigation. Civil Rights The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division directs people reporting law enforcement misconduct to the FBI as a primary contact.4U.S. Department of Justice. About the Civil Rights Division
FBI investigations can lead to federal criminal charges under 18 U.S.C. § 242, which carries penalties ranging from one year in prison up to life imprisonment depending on whether the misconduct caused bodily injury or death.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 242 – Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law This is one of the few channels that can result in criminal prosecution of the officer.
The DOJ Civil Rights Division
You can file directly through the Civil Rights Division’s online portal.5United States Department of Justice. Contact the Civil Rights Division The DOJ’s pattern-or-practice investigations focus on systemic problems within a department rather than individual incidents. A single complaint will not typically trigger a full investigation on its own, but it can contribute to evidence that a broader problem exists.6U.S. Department of Justice. FAQ About Pattern or Practice Investigations When the DOJ finds a pattern of unlawful conduct, federal law authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil lawsuit to force the department to reform.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 U.S. Code 12601 – Cause of Action
The DOJ Office of the Inspector General
If the officer is a federal employee (DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Federal Bureau of Prisons), the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General is the correct channel. The OIG accepts online complaints through its hotline portal and investigates misconduct, waste, fraud, and allegations of improper profiling or bias by DOJ law enforcement personnel.8U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. Hotline
Your State Attorney General
In many states, the attorney general’s office can review complaints against local law enforcement, particularly when local agencies fail to act. Some states give the AG independent investigative authority over police misconduct; others require you to exhaust local remedies first. Check your state attorney general’s website for a complaint portal. This channel is worth pursuing if you have already filed locally and seen no response.
Keep the Submission Itself Anonymous
Leaving your name off the form is not enough. Digital submissions leave traces that can identify you if you are not careful.
If You File Online
Use a VPN. It routes your traffic through a remote server and replaces your real IP address. Free VPNs often log activity or sell data, which defeats the purpose. A paid, no-log VPN is worth the few dollars a month.
Create a new email address solely for this using an encrypted provider like Proton Mail or Tuta (formerly Tutanota). Both offer end-to-end encryption and do not require a phone number to sign up. Do not use your regular email, and do not access the new account from a device or network linked to your identity.
For extra separation, submit from a public Wi-Fi network rather than your home internet. A library works well. Combine this with your VPN so the public network’s logs do not expose your activity either.
If You Send Mail
Type the letter rather than handwriting it. Do not include a return address. Mail it from a public mailbox in a neighborhood you do not live in, since the postmark reflects the general area where the letter entered the postal system. If you printed at home, be aware that some printers embed tracking dots on printed pages. A library printer avoids this.
What Happens After You File
Expect a slow process with limited feedback. Most agencies will not send a case number or status updates when there is no contact information on file. Silence does not mean nothing is happening.
An intake officer first reviews the complaint to decide whether it has enough detail to warrant investigation. A report with specific dates, officer identification, and described conduct is far more likely to move forward than a vague allegation. If an investigation opens, investigators typically review body camera footage, interview the officer and any witnesses, and examine department records. The process can take months. Outcomes range from discipline, retraining, or termination to a finding of unsubstantiated due to insufficient evidence. Anonymous complaints face an inherent disadvantage: without your testimony or the ability to ask you clarifying questions, investigators have less to work with.
Even if your individual complaint does not result in discipline, it likely enters department records. Most major departments use early warning systems that flag officers who accumulate multiple complaints within a set window, triggering supervisory intervention.9National Institute of Justice. Early Warning Systems – Responding to the Problem Police Officer Your complaint may be the first, second, or third data point in that pattern. The same logic applies federally: DOJ pattern-or-practice investigations rely on accumulated complaints and data to identify departments with systemic problems.6U.S. Department of Justice. FAQ About Pattern or Practice Investigations A report that goes nowhere on its own can still contribute to a federal investigation years later.
If Your Identity Comes Out
Fear of retaliation is the main reason people file anonymously, and it is not irrational. Federal law does provide meaningful protection if your identity is eventually discovered. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1513, it is a federal crime to retaliate against anyone for providing truthful information to a law enforcement officer about a possible federal offense. The statute covers physical violence, threats, property damage, and interference with employment or livelihood. Penalties reach up to 20 years for causing bodily injury or making threats, and up to 10 years for economic retaliation like getting someone fired.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1513 – Retaliating Against a Witness, Victim, or Informant
Many states also have whistleblower statutes that extend similar protection to people who report government employee misconduct. If you experience retaliation after filing, document it and report it to the FBI or your state attorney general.
The Line Against False Reports
Anonymous reporting is a right; fabricating allegations is a crime. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, knowingly making a materially false statement in any matter within federal jurisdiction is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally State laws impose similar penalties for false police reports at the local level, ranging from misdemeanor to felony charges depending on severity and consequences.
This applies to deliberately fabricated claims, not honest mistakes about details like an officer’s exact height or the precise time. If you report what you saw in good faith, you are on solid legal ground even if the investigation ultimately does not sustain the complaint.