Civilian Complaint Review Board

The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) is an independent city agency, with subpoena power. It is not part of the police department. We handle complaints about four kinds of alleged police misconduct: 1. Force: this refers to the use of excessive or unnecessary force; behavior that includes punching, shoving or choking a civilian, using pepper spray and up to and including the use of deadly force. 2. Abuse of Authority: this refers to abuse of police powers to intimidate or mistreat a civilian; for example, an officer’s refusal to provide name and badge number, an improper strip search or vehicle stop and search, or an improper “stop, question and frisk.” 3. Discourtesy: this refers to cursing and using other foul language or gestures. 4. Offensive Language: this refers to slurs and derogatory remarks or gestures based upon race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or physical disability. Note: The CCRB is completely separate from the criminal, civil and traffic court systems. In order to dispute a summons, resolve a criminal case or file a lawsuit against the City, call 311 for more information.