How to File Criminal Charges With an Attorney General

Attorneys general are the chief law-enforcement officers of the state.

Every state, as well as the federal government, has an attorney general who is the main legal adviser to the government and who serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the state. The attorney general of each state often files criminal charges against those believed to have committed crimes. Citizens of each state can contact the attorney general's office and make a statement or file a complaint if they believe a crime has been committed.

Instructions

1. Understand the how crimes are prosecuted. The prosecutors in each jurisdiction, which includes the attorney general of the state in which you live, are charged with prosecuting crimes and protecting the citizens of the state from criminal behavior. The decision to prosecute, file charges, convene a grand jury and initiate or suspend a criminal investigation is up to these prosecutors and the state's law-enforcement agencies. They may base their decision on evidence and statements gathered during the investigatory process, but in the end, the decision to prosecute lies solely with the prosecutors.

2. Understand the role of a complaint. A citizen may play a role in the filing of criminal charges. If the citizen makes a statement, files a complaint, or in any other way provides evidence to the attorney general or other prosecutors or law enforcement agents, that statement can be used as the basis to file criminal charges. For example, if you contact the attorney general's office and say you witnessed a murder, that may be enough for the office to either initiate a criminal investigation or file charges.

3. Contact the attorney general of your state. Many attorneys general allow for citizens to contact their office directly, especially when making complaints about consumer protection, unfair and deceptive trade practices or other similar consumer issues. Even if the subject of the complaint is not a consumer-related issue but is a criminal matter, attorneys general often will be open to receiving such complaints. When the subject of a complaint or statement is a criminal matter, the attorney general will normally refer these complaints to the appropriate law-enforcement agency for investigation. Similarly, if a law-enforcement agency investigates and deems it appropriate, it may contact the attorney general.

4. Contact your local law-enforcement agency. The determination of whether the attorney general will be involved in prosecuting a crime is up to the attorney general's office, the local prosecutor and the law-enforcement community. A citizen does not have the right to determine who prosecutes a crime, or if a crime is prosecuted at all. The only thing he can do is provide evidence. This is most effectively done through local law-enforcement agencies, by either contacting them directly or through an intermediary like an attorney. These law enforcement agencies may then contact the attorney general to initiate a criminal investigation or prosecution.

References

• Expert Law: Criminal Charges
• Missouri Attorney General: Consumer Complaints