Category Archives: Police Misconduct
If a Suspect Gets Away Can There be an Excessive Force Claim?
Like so many institutions, the U.S. Supreme Court has put off normal operations during the Coronavirus crisis. One case that has been put on hold could have lasting effects on excessive force cases. The case involves the use of excessive force, and how it interacts with the fourth amendment to the constitution, which prohibits… Read More »
Excessive Force and Abuse Sometimes Don’t Appear in Officers’ Files
It is difficult to know if an otherwise good police officer, a good person with a clean prior record, will exceed the force necessary to do his or her job. But sometimes, there is a way to predict bad behavior—simply check the officer’s background before hiring him or her. Yet, that seemingly easy step… Read More »
Yet Another Case of Police Using Excessive Force Against a Young Child
It seems that so many problems that happen between police and citizens occur in communities or groups that officers are not trained to properly deal with. Examples, many of which we have written about, include the young, the very old, or the mentally handicapped. Once again, police seem to have used excessive force when… Read More »
Prison Guards and Jail Law Enforcement Must Take Care of Inmates
As a general rule, police cannot be sued for failing to help or assist you in an emergency situation. They of course almost always will, as that is their job. But lawsuits that say that an officer did not respond in the right way, or that an officer did not take enough action, are… Read More »
Suing Police Departments for Failure to Train Officers
When officers break the law, many do it because they just don’t care about upholding their oaths to the public, and some may have egos, anger problems, or other reasons for using excessive force. But many officers want to do the right thing, they just are not trained properly or thoroughly enough. Of course,… Read More »
Police Dispatchers Can Also be Liable
When you call 911, you are not just getting a call center telemarketer on the other line, or someone hired off the street. Rather, you are getting a trained professional, and although 911 operators are not in the field, they are as crucial to keeping victims safe as officers and first responders are. Yet,… Read More »
Police and Cities Are Using Bankruptcy to Escape Civil Judgments
Victims of police brutality will often seek money damages for their injuries through a civil suit. The lawsuit is often not just against a police department or law enforcement agency, but may, depending on where the incident occurred and the laws of the state or jurisdiction, also include a lawsuit against the offending officers… Read More »
Police Misconduct Includes Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault
Police officers are inherently in a position of authority and control. This is necessary for them to do their job. When they exceed moral and ethical boundaries, it is wrong and illegal. When they exceed those boundaries by sexually abusing someone, the wrong of police misconduct becomes even more grievous. Sexual Misconduct by Officers… Read More »
Confidential Informants Can Lead to Police Violence
Imagine that police, acting on a tip from a confidential informant, burst into a home, expecting to make a drug raid or stop illegal activity going on at the property. Police forcibly enter, only to be met by gunfire from the person (or people) inside. In the end, not only are officers dead, but… Read More »
Police are Often Untrained to Deal With the Mentally Disabled
When police arrive at a scene or encounter a suspect, they generally have warning signs that they look for to determine whether they are in danger. Many of those warning signs are common sense—for example, someone who waives their arms erratically or screams or moves when being told to remain stationary, may pose a… Read More »
