Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

Police Liability and Litigation

Terrence P. Dwyer retired from the New York State Police after a 22-year career as a Trooper and Investigator. He is a tenured professor of legal studies at Western Connecticut State University and an attorney consulting on law enforcement liability, disciplinary cases, critical incidents and employment matters. He is the author of “The Badge Between Us: Duty, Marriage, and Family,” Bloomsbury Publishing (2026) and “Homeland Security Law: Issues and Analysis,” Cognella Publishing (2024). Visit his website at https://terrencepdwyer.com.

LATEST ARTICLES

Use of Force

Are you forgetting a crucial element in use-of-force training?

Every officer must know the U.S. Supreme Court holding in Graham v. Connor — the standard for police officer use of force is one of “objective reasonableness” — but it is equally important that officers know their specific state statutes concerning use of force

February 06, 2015 02:41 PM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

Legal

5 Supreme Court decisions from 2014 impacting law enforcement

The 2014 calendar brought us five significant cases which impact officers’ understanding of Fourth Amendment limits, both in its extension and restrictions

December 10, 2014 04:06 PM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

Legal

Law: The loudest voice in use-of-force cases

Whether the mob is a group of angry citizens looting stores or police officers behaving in ways that betray their training and professionalism, the mob is not the answer in this country — it never has been

September 19, 2014 04:30 AM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

Legal

The Constitution and the cop: Case law and the American home

While the home is still sacred constitutional ground — a threshold not to be trespassed upon by the government without a warrant supported by probable cause — exceptions do exist

February 21, 2014 08:35 AM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

2013 in Review: SCOTUS decisions, from dogs to Katz

The U.S. Supreme Court’s continuing protection of property rights in 2013

December 23, 2013 07:15 AM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

Legal

Court rulings may forecast the future of locational privacy claims

Part two of a two-part series

September 06, 2013 06:18 AM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

SCOTUS, GPS, and the future of locational privacy claims

Part one of a two-part series

September 05, 2013 10:44 AM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

30 minutes from the Boston Marathon bombing

When I started the day my central concern was whether or not my legs would carry me the full 26.2 miles — how trivial that worry was in the wake of the terror attack which would occur

April 19, 2013 05:42 AM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

Social Media

Risky business: Social media and your ‘job security’

Part two of a two-part series

January 11, 2013 11:17 AM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.

Legal

2012 in Review: Supreme Court decisions affecting cops

From GPS warrants to eyewitness testimony to governmental immunity, this past year has been a mixed bag of legal goodies for law enforcement

December 21, 2012 06:51 AM

Terrence P. Dwyer, Esq.