I understand the story and know of similar instances. There was a study done by one news company where they had someone go up to various officers and just ask them how to file a complaint. In about a fair number of the sample, the reporter ended up arrested when he would not give his name. The good news was about half the time, the reporter got the information without any problem. The bad news was it was only half the time.govnor wrote:I agree too, but trust me on this one: If I had asked a name and badge number in a couple of instances, which a well deserved complaint needed to be filed...I would have taken a ride myself. It just wasn't worth it. I watched people being arrested for asking (politely, I might add) what was going on with their friend (who was being arrested) and stuff like that. This one night in Deep Ellum it was ON with the police. They were in a tizzy. The guy next to me said something to the cop that it wasn't right what they were doing. He was right... and not being rude in any way. The cop looked at him and told him he was next to go to jail if he didn't shut up. "You want to go to jail boy!" Friend says no..."then keep your mouth shut!" True story, as I saw this first hand. That's not the only story either...I have a few others.
But, I also wanted to correct a couple bad impressions some people have about the complaint process, one of which you mentioned. You do not need to know any information about the officer other than the department he works for. Just go to the department the next day and tell them when and where it happened and what was wrong. Let the investigators follow up and figure it out. There will be documentation in their records of who it was normally.
Second, don't worry about perjury charges. Some departments try to scare off complaints by posting a notice about false charges being perjury. This is true, but it only applies if you are deliberately lying. If you are mistaken, or the case just cannot be proven, you do not need to worry about the charges.
And finally, you can complain even if you were just a bystander. Some departments will not accept a complaint from anyone other than the actual injured party, but most will take the complaint from any witnesses. Then they will go to the aggrieved party and see if he ants to file the complaint using you as a witness. The best departments will take the complaint from you anyway.
Some departments will not take an anonymous complaint. There is a state law saying the administrator of the agency cannot take action without a signed complaint. Some departments will take the anonymous complaint anyway. If the investigation reveals anything, they will find the proper person to file the complaint.
But we need the public's help to keep the best cops and get rid of the bad ones.
Quis custodiet custodiens? (If I remember my Latin properly)