Citizen Complaint Authority was established in 2003 as a result of the Department of Justice Memorandum of Understanding (DOJ) and the Collaborative Agreement (CA). CCA has three (3) components:

1. a Board of seven citizens appointed by the mayor and approved by City Council,
2. a full-time Director with support staff, and
3. a team of professional investigators.

Complaints are assigned for investigation by CCA or referred to the Citizen Complaint Resolution Process (CCRP) under the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD). Upon completion of a CCA investigation, the Director forwards the investigative report to the Board.  Simularly, when a complaint is referred to CPD, CPD reports the results of that process to CCA.

The Board typically meets the first Monday of each month to review completed investigations.  Board meetings are open to the public.  Findings and recommendations are subsequently forwarded to the City Manager for final disposition.