File a complaint about a police officer’s conduct

Police officers and special constables are expected to act with honesty and integrity and comply with:

• Human Rights Code
• Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• Code of Conduct of Police Officers
• Code of Conduct of Special Constables

The Code of Conduct for police officers identifies police officers’ obligation under the following categories:

• Compliance with Laws
• Human Rights and the Charter
• Interactions with the Public
• Integrity
• Performance of Duties

The Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA) investigates complaints made by the public about the behaviour of a police officer who works for:

• Municipal and regional forces and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)
• Special constables employed by the Niagara Parks Commission
• Peace officers of the Legislative Protective Service
• First Nations police officers if the First Nation’s police force chooses to follow the CSPA

and find resolutions to these complaints.

Complaints may include:

• Harassing, assaulting, or racially profiling them
• Unlawful searches or detentions
• Excessive force
• Abusive language
• Neglect of duty
• Discriminatory conduct
• Deceit

How to file a complaint with LECA

• A complainant can go into a police station and simply have a conversation to clear up a question or concern.
• Local Response is a process for dealing with concerns from members of the public informally.

File a formal complaint

Online, by mail, email, or fax:

• Submit a complaint: https://complaint.leca.ca/LECA.Efile/Complaint_en.html
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1-877-411-4773 or 416-246-7071
• Mail:
  Law Enforcement Complaints Agency 
  655 Bay Street, 10th Floor
  Toronto, Ontario
  M7A 2T4

It is best to file your complaint within six months of the incident. Complaints received after six months may be screened out. The investigators usually have 4 months to investigate and report their findings to the person who made the complaint.

If the report finds that the police officer harmed the person and should be disciplined or fired, the decision to do either is made by:

• the Ontario Police Arbitration and Adjudication Commission, or
• a person given this power by the police force.

An officer may be disciplined in many ways. For example, they can be formally criticized, suspended with or without pay, moved to a lower rank, forced to attend training or counselling, or fired.

For help and general inquiries, email [email protected]​.

On April 1, 2024, the Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA) changed the process for making complaints about police officers. Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA) is the new name for the complaints office that was called the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD).