Why This Matters
The criminal justice system as it stands is structured to serve itself. It operates like a factory: enforcing policies and procedures that perpetuate recidivism, hurt families, and trap people in cycles of abuse. Police are rewarded for the wrong things, and prosecutors benefit from an incentive structure built around racking up convictions — not pursuing justice.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, children with parents in the system suffer emotionally, educationally, mentally, and financially. NIJ research also finds that childhood abuse and neglect create on-ramps to adult criminality — which means the harm the system inflicts on families today produces the cases it prosecutes tomorrow.
And then there’s the financial abuse. The system profits off families of the incarcerated — charging for phone calls between incarcerated people and their children is just one example of many.
Well before anyone reaches trial, pending charges appear on background checks, destroying employment prospects before any finding of guilt. Innocent until proven guilty is a phrase used by people who benefit from the system so they can sleep at night. The process begins eroding your life from day one.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant. The goal is to get as much sunlight on the situation as possible.
What to Do: Step by Step
Document the encounter immediately
Write everything down while it’s fresh. Keep a notebook nearby for new details as they surface. Save any audio or video of the event — even if you’re not sure you’ll use it. Body cam footage should be available on request, but don’t count on departments honoring that without a fight. Also worth knowing: police are legally allowed to lie to you.Educate yourself on Michigan laws and police policies
Research whatever you can get your hands on to document the misconduct. Michigan has a well-written citizen’s guide to navigating the government — read it here. Or pick up the Clutch Justice guide and toolkit for a more direct breakdown.Submit a formal complaint against the agency involved
Where you file depends on who did it. For Michigan State Police troopers specifically, submit formal complaints through MSP Internal Affairs here. For local or county officers, go to the relevant department’s internal affairs division.Submit FOIA requests and get your hands on the records
File Freedom of Information Act requests for all documentation related to your situation — police reports, body cam footage, internal communications, whatever exists. To find the right process, Google the agency name + “FOIA request.” For Michigan State Police, search: Michigan State Police FOIA Request. See also: How Much Does a FOIA Request Cost in Michigan?Report to the Giglio-Brady List
Don’t let misconduct disappear into an invisible internal affairs complaint. Make a report at giglio-bradylist.com — a public database tracking officers with documented credibility issues. They can’t hide behind closed-door investigations when it’s documented in the open.Contact your state and federal representatives
Find your Michigan State House rep and State Senate rep by address. For federal representatives, go to congress.gov. Fair warning: if your messaging isn’t tight and specific, they may not be helpful. But contact creates a paper trail.Submit a complaint to the Department of Justice
File through the DOJ Civil Rights process and consider routing a complaint to the FBI’s civil rights division as well. Know going in that finding a civil rights attorney to take a case in Michigan is genuinely difficult — qualified immunity protections and the length of federal litigation make it a hard sell. But the complaint process itself doesn’t require one.Contact the Michigan ACLU or other advocacy organizations
The Michigan ACLU does take police misconduct complaints and will reach out if they think they can help. They are overworked and will likely not be able to take your case unless it’s extraordinary — even then it’s a stretch. File anyway. It creates a record and contributes to patterns they track.Yes, local outlets like WWMT, WOOD TV8, and Fox17 have tip lines. No, they probably don’t care. Police misconduct is so common in Michigan it’s not considered news anymore. That’s a damning statement about where we are, but it’s accurate.
Your time is better spent on documentation, formal complaints, and public databases than pitching to outlets that have shown they won’t cover it.
Above All, Stay Strong
I don’t say any of this to discourage you. I say it to prepare you.
This is going to be a long fight and it’s going to take up an enormous amount of your time and energy. Do not let these people wear you down. It is always worth it to protect yourself and your family.
Never be ashamed of what happened or afraid to tell your story. You were victimized — but you don’t have to stay silent. Find ways to take care of yourself through it, even small ones: a walk, a shower, a conversation with someone you trust. Reach out to family and friends as much as you can.
It’s a long road. But eventually, you reach the end of it.
If you’ve experienced judicial misconduct alongside police misconduct, the complaint processes are separate but the documentation strategy is the same. See: How to Write a Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission Complaint — And Make It Count and Clutch Justice Tracked Complaint Triggers Formal Review by Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission.
Michigan State Police Internal Affairs — michigan.gov/msp →
Michigan ACLU Intake Form — intake.aclumich.org →
DOJ Civil Rights Complaint — civilrights.justice.gov →
FBI Civil Rights — fbi.gov →
Giglio-Brady Public List — giglio-bradylist.com →
Find Your RepresentativesMichigan State House — house.mi.gov →
Michigan State Senate — senate.michigan.gov →
Federal Representatives — congress.gov →
Research and ContextNIJ — Hidden Consequences: Impact of Incarceration on Dependent Children — nij.ojp.gov →
Equal Justice Under Law — Criminal Justice Overview — equaljusticeunderlaw.org →
Cato Institute — How Qualified Immunity Hurts Law Enforcement — cato.org →
Michigan Citizen’s Guide to Government — legislature.mi.gov →
