The police pull you over, and you're not happy about how they treat you. So, what can you do about it? A new Web site lets people voice complaints about individual cops, and it's a site that doesn't sit well with some DFW area police departments.
The site, called "Ratemycop.com" launched earlier this year, created by a group in California that said it's aiming to create an open dialog between police and the communities they serve.
The site lists the names of all of the cops on the payroll at hundreds of police departments nationwide. Users of the site can grade officers on a five badge scale and post written comments about an officer's performance.
Dallas Police don't want to talk about the site, saying they don't want to give it any additional publicity. Fort Worth police said they're aware of the site, but department officials do not spend any time reviewing the written comments.
"People are brave over anonymous comments, and they don't always tell the truth," said Lt. Paul Henderson, Fort Worth Police Spokesman.
Both Fort Worth and Dallas police said they best way to voice concern over an officer is to file a written complaint directly with the police department so internal affairs can investigate.
But, even if individual departments don't use "Ratemycop", University of Texas at Arlington criminology professor Alex Del Carmen said the Web site still has value.
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"To some degree it's what democracy is about, giving people a place where they can vent and talk about experiences they've had', Carmen said.
