Before Filing a Complaint

1. Consult the page Can we handle your complaint? and the Handling your complaint section in order to judge whether a police ethics complaint is the appropriate recourse for you.
2. Take as many notes as possible about the event. As soon as possible after the event that is the subject of your complaint has unfolded, you should take detailed notes of the situation so that you can describe it as accurately as possible when you file your complaint :
   • When? (date and time/moment of the start of the event related to your complaint);
   • Where? (location of the event related to your complaint);
   • Who? (identification of the persons concerned by your complaint);
   • What and how? (description of the words, actions, inactions of the persons concerned by your complaint and the context of the event).
3. Gather your evidence. You should also collect your documents as soon as possible and, if you have them, write down your witnesses (with their contact details) related to the event. If you know that there is video of the incident, but you do not have it, we recommend that you file your complaint as soon as possible to allow us to recover this evidence before it be lost.  Although it is desirable that you give as much detail or evidence as possible about the event or situation that is the subject of your complaint, you don't have to have the answers to all our questions for your complaint to be properly analyzed. 
4. File a complaint quickly, but not too quickly. It is recommended that you file your complaint as soon as possible after the event, in order to avoid forgetting certain pieces of information or seeing some evidence lost or destroyed. However, if you feel overwhelmed with emotion, you can wait for a time when you will feel better able to describe more objectively and calmly what happened. You have up to one year after the event or your knowledge of the event to file your complaint. In exceptional circumstances, the Commissioner may agree to an extension of this time limit, subject to the presentation of evidence demonstrating the impossibility of acting during this period. The Commissioner will have to decide whether the circumstances justify the complainant's failure to file a complaint within the one-year time limit set out in the Bill.

Ways to File a Complaint

• By using our online complaint form. This is the preferred way to file your police ethics complaint.
• By making a phone appointment with us so that we can help you file your complaint or take it orally. You can do so by contacting us at 514 864-1784 (Montreal region), 418 643-7897 (Quebec region) ou 1 877 237-7897 (other regions).
• It is also possible, in some situations, to lodge a complaint orally with a member of the Commissioner's staff.
• By contacting a human rights or community organization that offers assistance in filing a police ethics complaint.