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  • To report a life-threatening emergency please Dial 911.
  • To report all other crimes or if you have questions, please call the non-emergency number, 719-444-7000. This number is staffed 24 hours a day, every day.
  • CSPD Phone Directory

File a Complaint or Compliment

What is a Complaint?

The Colorado Springs Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit processes allegations of misconduct involving Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) employees. Violations can range from unprofessional behavior to biased policing to excessive force.

Who Can File a Complaint or Compliment?

Anyone can file a complaint or compliment. Although you can file a complaint or compliment anonymously, it is helpful if you provide a phone number or email address so an investigator can follow up to obtain additional information that may be crucial to the investigation. We also accept complaints or compliments from outside agencies or third parties reporting on behalf of others.

Complaints or compliments may be received in person, over the telephone, in writing, via electronic mail, and/or via the Internet, and may be made anonymously or by any other means without regard to the source or the time that has passed since the alleged incident occurred.

The department makes procedures for lodging complaints against the department and its employees readily available to the public through its website, as well as through informational brochures available at the Police Operations Center and patrol substations. The Internal Affairs Section is responsible for providing informational brochures for public display to the applicable divisions, in both English and Spanish. 

Employees will provide assistance to individuals who express the desire to make complaints against any department member. This may include, but is not limited to:

  • Calling a supervisor to the scene to document the complaint or compliment
  • Providing referrals to individuals and/or locations where such complaints can be made in person
  • Providing an informational brochure about complaints
  • Explaining alternative means for making complaints, such as by phone, mail, and via the department’s website
  • If a person calls or arrives in person to make a complaint, the employee will summon a supervisor to receive the complaint

Employees are prohibited from discouraging or otherwise impeding a person from making a complaint.

For the fastest assistance, we recommend that you contact the area of town where your encounter with the employee took place. To avoid wait times, an appointment can be made to file a complaint but it is not required.

Is Filing a Complaint Safe?

We intend for our process to be safe. You will not be asked about your immigration status. You will not need to speak with the employee you are filing a complaint against.

How do I File a Complaint or Compliment?

1. Online by visiting the GoCOS! portal.

2. By Email: CSPD.InternalAffairs@coloradosprings.gov

3. By Phone:  (719) 444-7417

If your call is directed to the voicemail system, please leave a message and an investigator will get back to you shortly. Please make sure to leave your contact information - preferably your e-mail address - in the message.

4. In Person: 705 South Nevada Avenue; Colorado Springs, CO 80903

The Internal Affairs Unit office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. You can file a complaint in person by appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but are only available as investigators' schedules allow. Appointments are preferred. You can call 719-444-7417 to schedule your appointment. 

5. By Mail:  CSP Internal Affairs Unit; 705 South Nevada Avenue; Colorado Springs, CO 80903
 

The 5 Ways Complaints are Closed

Here are the five ways a complaint investigation is closed:

Sustained: There are facts proving misconduct did occur and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.

There are eight types of disciplinary actions which can be recommended for a sustained case:

1) Counseling

2) SDR (Supervisor Discussion Record

3) Training

4) Written Reprimand 

5) Suspension

6) Demotion

7) Reduction in Pay 

8) Termination

Not Sustained:  The allegation cannot be proved or disproved.

Unfounded:  There are facts which prove that misconduct did not occur.

*No discipline is imposed with these findings but additional training can be required.

Exonerated:  The act complained of did occur and it was justified, legal and proper.

Closed by Mediation:  A complaint is referred to a professional mediator, who sets up a meeting at a neutral location. This is a structured meeting between the complainant and the involved employee. Cases which are successfully mediated are closed without one of the above classifications being assigned. For more information on our mediation process you can visit the following website to see what the neutral mediation company (company is not affiliated with CSPD) does: http://findsolutions.org/

No discipline or training is imposed with these findings.

For more information on the citizen complaint procedure, please view our Citizen Complaint Procedure Brochure.

Track a Complaint

You can track the status of a complaint using the CSPD IA case number. The status will be updated at each stage of the complaint’s process.

Check Complaint Status

How to File a Complaint With Colorado Attorney General’s Office and DOJ

United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division: www.ojp.gov

Colorado Attorney General’s Office: www.coag.gov

Report Minor Crimes and Accidents Online

Certain crimes and minor traffic accidents can be reported online. Visit our Online Services page for more information.

Contact one of CSPD's Area Commands

Helpful Links to Other Regional Agencies

Americans With Disabilities Statement

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Colorado Springs will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities.  Anyone requiring an auxiliary aid or service to participate in this program should make the request as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.  Citizens who are deaf and hard of hearing may dial 711.