Does ComplaintMate file the complaint?
No. ComplaintMate prepares the complaint document. Every complaint must still be reviewed and, upon acceptance, clerked by a fellow officer or another person with clerking authority before filing. ComplaintMate does not review, approve, or file complaints, and does not provide legal advice.
What does ComplaintMate cost?
Every new account starts with a free trial that gives access to the complete platform. Individual officers purchase prepaid complaint packs — credits that never expire — for occasional or ongoing use. Agency licensing is separate and is not based on multiplying individual subscriptions or complaint credits by the number of officers. Agency pricing is based on department size, anticipated usage, Cook County jurisdiction and deployment requirements. A department license provides access to authorized agency personnel without individual officers needing to maintain separate subscriptions or complaint balances.
How does the free trial work?
The trial covers five complaint generations across any of the three form types, with full access to the charge database. No card is required to start. Once the five are used, you'll be prompted to upgrade.
Why does signup require approval?
ComplaintMate is intended for verified law-enforcement personnel, so new accounts are reviewed before they can generate complaints. After signing up you'll be asked for your badge or star number and your department, which is what the review is based on. Approvals are typically handled the same day. Many official department email domains get instant access. Sign-ups from personal email addresses go through a short manual approval before the account is activated.
Is my data stored?
No case information is stored. Defendant and complainant names, addresses, dates of birth, the place of offense, narrative text and the finished PDF are built in your browser and are never written to our database. Per complaint we keep only a short record — your account, the form type, the charge/citation selected, and a timestamp — so there is no case file on our side to breach or subpoena.
Is ComplaintMate CJIS compliant?
ComplaintMate is designed to stay outside CJIS scope: case details are processed in the officer’s browser and are never sent to or stored by us, and ComplaintMate does not connect to LEADS, NCIC, III, RMS or CAD. We do not claim a CJIS certification. Whether CJIS applies to your use is your agency’s determination, and if your CJIS Systems Officer requires it, we’ll sign a CJIS Security Addendum before that use begins. Agencies reviewing us can request our IT & Security Overview.
Is sign-in protected by multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
Yes. Officers sign in with their agency email and password, then confirm a one-time code from an authenticator app (TOTP). Multi-factor authentication is required for every account. No phone number is used or collected for sign-in.
What happens if a citation is wrong?
The charge database is maintained as statutes are renumbered, repealed, or reorganized, and any charge flagged as uncertain is held for review before it can be relied on. If you spot something that looks wrong, let us know and it will be checked against the current statute.
Do departments get pricing?
Yes. Department and agency pricing is handled directly by agreement rather than through the individual plans. Contact us to discuss what your agency needs.