Citizen Complaint Oversight Panel (Legacy)

NOTE

Effective June 30, 2022, the Citizen Complaint Oversight Panel is no longer in operation. To file a complaint for police misconduct, carefully read the instructions below and SELECT THE LINK FROM THE INSTRUCTION THAT APPLIES TO YOU:

• For incidents that happened BEFORE July 1, 2022, please use the complaint form (PDF)  (NOTE: If this is a use of force or brutality complaint, please follow the specific instructions on the complaint form regarding Use of Force or Brutality complaints. 
• For incidents that happened ON OR AFTER July 1, 2022, please visit the PAB site.  Once filed, the new Police Accountability Board will forward your complaint to the appropriate law enforcement agency within three (3) days after receipt of the complaint for investigation.

Mission

The mission of the Citizen Complaint Oversight Panel is to:

• Ensure that the report and recommendations of the investigating unit are reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances
• Strengthen the partnership between citizens and the Prince George’s County police by assuring the public that investigations of alleged excessive force, abusive language and/or harassment are complete, thorough, and impartial

We seek to improve the climate of community/police relationships through the fair and timely resolution of individual complaints.

Services

• Issues reports to the Chief Administrative Officer
• Makes an Annual Report to the Public
• Makes recommendations to the Chief of Police
• Reviews each Internal Affairs Division investigation for thoroughness and impartiality
• Reviews reported complaints of excessive force, abusive language, and/or harassment

Quick Facts

• 7-member citizen panel
• Created by County Legislation CB-25-1990

Complaint Process

1. Complete an official Complaint Against Police Practices Form No. 1072 (PDF) or prepare a written account of your complaint. The 1072 form is in all public libraries, the Citizen Complaint Oversight Panel Office and all County Police Stations.
2. Submit your complaint to the Citizen Complaint Oversight Panel or any County Police Station or by mail to the address on the complaint form. You can also send complaints by email to the Citizen Complaint Oversight Panel.
3. Reports should be filed as soon as possible. Complaints alleging excessive force must be notarized and filed within 366 days of the incident.

Reports

The CCOP is mandated to publish an annual report. The annual reports are posted 180 days or by June 30th after the ending of the reporting year.

While not a mandate, a recent internal goal of CCOP’s leadership has been to also publish quarterly reports. However, due to pandemic-related and operational reasons, we have temporarily suspended the publication of quarterly reports. We hope to resume publication of quarterly reports by August 15, 2021, with the posting of the January-March and April-June, 2021 quarterly reports.

CCOP reports

• 2021 Annual Report (PDF)
• 2020 Annual Report (PDF)
• 2019 Annual Report (PDF)
• April-September 2019 Quarterly Report (PDF)
• Jan-Mar 2019 Quarterly Report (PDF)

Visit our archive center to see a list of prior annual reports for the Citizen Complaint Oversight Panel. CD-ROM and a limited number of hard copies of the most recent annual report are available upon request. Please contact the CCOP by phone at 301-883-5042 or by email.