D.C. Office of Police Complaints

The Office of Police Complaints (OPC) and its governing body, the Police Complaints Board (PCB), were created by statute in 1999, and OPC opened to the public on January 8, 2001. The agency is independent of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the District of Columbias 3,800-member police force, and the DC Housing Authority Police Department (DCHAPD), the Districts 40-member housing authority police force. OPCs mission is to increase community trust in the District of Columbia police forces by providing a fair, thorough, and independent system of civilian oversight of law enforcement. OPC is staffed by civilians and has the authority to receive complaints involving six types of police officer misconduct: harassment, inappropriate language or conduct, retaliation, unnecessary or excessive force, discrimination, and failure to identify. The agencys functions are to conduct fair and thorough investigations of citizen complaints, pr...