About
Why PoliceConduct.org exists
PoliceConduct.org exists to help people document interactions with law enforcement and review the public record around agencies, officers, and civil cases.
The project began with a personal experience, but its purpose is broader: to make public information easier to preserve, organize, and review so accountability and recognition do not depend on money, status, or luck.
Approach
How we approach the record
PoliceConduct.org is built around a narrow premise: public accountability works better when relevant information is easier to find, compare, and review.
The site documents both concerning and commendable conduct. It is not meant to replace courts, internal affairs, or formal oversight bodies. It is meant to make public reporting and public records more usable for the public.
Operating posture
- Preserve reports and connect them to public records where possible.
- Show context rather than treating every allegation as proof.
- Make room for recognition, not only criticism.
- Focus on durability, traceability, and public access.
Statement
Fairness matters in both directions
Public accountability is not served by exaggeration, and it is not served by secrecy. Serious concerns should not remain buried because records are scattered or difficult to access. At the same time, isolated allegations should not be presented without context when the record does not support a broader conclusion.
Good policing should be visible too. Officers and agencies that act with restraint, dignity, and professionalism deserve recognition in the public record just as serious concerns deserve scrutiny.
Case origin
The founder story is part of the record, but not the whole reason this project exists.
What led me to build it
This project started with an arrest that I do not think should have happened.
What stuck with me was not just my own case. It was seeing the other people being booked and realizing how much worse an arrest could be for them than for me. Missing one day of work could cost someone their job. Even when a charge is weak, clearing it can take money, time, and stability that many people do not have.
That changed how I think about police accountability. My arresting officer seemed to care about compliance and submission, not the long-term damage a false arrest can do to a person's life. PoliceConduct.org exists in part because those consequences are real, and because they fall hardest on people with the fewest resources.
Next step
Help build the public record
If you want to document an interaction, review local records, or understand how this project works in practice, start there. The record gets stronger when more people can use it.