Read this article on techdirt.com: Internal Affairs Departments, District Attorneys' Offices Helping Keep Bad Cops From Being Held Accountable. The title says it all. When the police investigate themselves, brutality often goes unchecked and citizens’ complaints about police misconduct are not taken seriously. Even when the district attorney’s office steps in to investigate, DAs rarely pursue criminal cases against police officers for violating the rights of people they arrest. After all, the DAs work very closely with police on a daily basis.