Legal
The Legal topic page on Police1 is a must-read for any officer, at any agency, who wants to stay up-to-date on the latest news. Every trial, verdict and court decision that has to do with cops will be covered on this page.
What officers claimed was hostile behavior, the court determined was the plaintiff pressing to exercise his right to remain in his home and require a warrant for entry
Uses of force captured on video can be misinterpreted, exposing officers and agencies to significant civil and criminal liability. Are you providing the best evidence?
An Ark. officer’s actions come under legal scrutiny as the Eighth Circuit Court revives a lawsuit concerning the 2016 shooting of a suicidal teenager
The bill would require cities to hold an election if their proposed budget reduces or reallocates police funding
AG Letitia James said the bill would amend the current law “from one of simple necessity to one of absolute last resort”
Ronald Greene’s family has filed a lawsuit claiming that troopers covered up his cause of death in the May 2019 arrest
“There was nothing on its face that was illegal,” the judge said. “The detention of a suspect is not a criminal act”
The letter, which was not officially issued by the U.S. Capitol Police, admonished Congress members for opposing the commission
The bill establishes a point person at the DOJ who would review hate crime incidents reported to law enforcement agencies
The package creates an independent investigations office, bans chokeholds and broadens the ability to de-certify officers who’ve engaged in misconduct
The justices rejected a “community caretaking” rule that may authorize police to enter a home even if they have no evidence of a crime or an emergency
A judge ruled Officer Richard Nicoletti had been authorized by his commanders to clear the highway and had been given pepper spray as a tool to do so
Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who is charged with second-degree manslaughter, will stand trial Dec. 6
The women were booked on charges of felony vandalism and conspiracy
Did incident circumstances, including the concept of inattentional blindness, result in an officer’s inability to see the suspect drop his gun?
A seizure occurs when officers employ “physical force” or a “show of authority” that “in some way restrains the liberty” of the person
The postponement is in part to allow the publicity of Derek Chauvin’s conviction to cool off, a judge ruled Thursday
The measure requires police to divert a defendant’s first two offenses to treatment before the case makes it to a prosecutor
This case presents a novel variation on the classic controlled buy
The bill would carry a minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years for killing federally funded law enforcement members, firefighters and EMS providers
A Minnesota judge has ruled that there were aggravating factors in the death of George Floyd, opening the possibility of a longer sentence
The decisions to seek the death penalty and a sentencing enhancement under Georgia’s hate crime law “send a message that everyone within this community is valued,” said the Fulton County District Attorney
The group has rejected a $100,000 payment and says it will release sensitive information if more money isn’t offered, police said
A jury found Officer William Ben Darby guilty after about two hours of deliberations, returning a verdict that left local police “in the first stages of shock”
The change will still let business owners detain suspected thieves and allows for self defense
The bill bars cities and counties from reducing their law enforcement budgets by more than 5% in one year, or cumulatively across five years
In a federal lawsuit, Vanessa Bryant alleges that several deputies shared ‘gratuitous photos’ of the fatal crash
Some of those charged argue they can’t be guilty of anything because police stood by, but security footage tells a different story
The four defendants are accused of willfully violating George Floyd’s constitutional rights
All “red flag” cases will now go straight to the judge instead of through the prosecutor’s office
The bonuses will go to more than 170,000 firefighters, EMS providers and police officers across the state
The two men had been charged with homicide, attempted extortion, assault, resisting a public official and carrying an attack-style knife without just cause
“It’s fear-mongering politics at its worst,” said Jonathan Thompson, CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association
MOST POPULAR
- Court: 5 Ohio officers sued over pursuit injuries not liable
- You’ve been in an officer-involved shooting...
- SHOT Show education program provides police training, response strategies
- Tenn. ‘Back the Blue Act’ harshens penalties for those who assault law enforcement officers
- 7 tips for truck interdiction