When reviewing a criminal case, the amount of information can quickly become overwhelming—police reports, photographs, videos, evidence logs, transcripts, court filings, public-records requests, and correspondence. That is why organization is one of the most important tools an advocate can have. A detail that seems insignificant today may become important months later when compared with another document. A date may not match. An officer's testimony may differ from a report. A

When people hear the words “police grievance” or “Internal Affairs complaint,” they sometimes assume someone is accusing an officer of corruption or demanding that an officer be punished. That is not necessarily what a grievance means. A grievance can simply say: “I reviewed the records. I found something that concerns me. I believe departmental policy may not have been followed, and I am asking the department to investigate and explain what happened.” That distinction matter