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.
Appellate court concludes that the evidence plainly showed the officers subjectively believed the suspect had a gun
Court holds requesting personal identification in a public location, without threats, overt coercion, or a display of force, was a seizure requiring reasonable suspicion
Court rules on whether an ankle-crossing restraint tactic contributed to a subject’s death
State and local officials will start issuing citations on Jan. 1 in an effort to deter dangerous driving
With 2020 about to commence, Jim and Doug reflect on some of the topics that rose above the rest in the past 12 months
One has been charged with capital murder in the Saturday death of Det. Cliff Martinez
The California attorney general’s office urged a state appeals court Thursday to refrain from ordering it to review and publicly release a massive trove of police records
A suspect pled guilty to attacking officers for nearly two hours, then claimed they were not justified in the use of force to arrest and control him
Both strip searches and visual body cavity searches incident to arrest must be supported by a reasonable suspicion the suspect is concealing contraband
The lawsuit alleges Officer Kenite Webb was ‘continually and repeatedly subjected to severe discrimination’
The union representing state police officers filed a complaint alleging the subpoenas are an abuse of authority
The complaint quotes a state police helicopter pilot saying he tried to tell the bulldozer operator to stop but the radio failed
The debate and proposed measures come after 6 on-duty deaths in 2019
Excessive force, warrantless blood draws and civil asset forfeiture were some of the issues SCOTUS addressed in 2019
The bill would require police to learn effective communication techniques, alternatives to physical restraint and ways to identify and report patient abuse
How a California officer spent his ‘discretionary time’ in handling a subject said to be wielding a knife was the pivotal consideration in an excessive force case
In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss policing alongside hostile prosecutors
Twelve police departments said Wednesday they will not enforce the law; lawmakers call for a repeal
The reforms will create a public database of use of force rates and ease public access to body camera videos
While our instinct is often to fight the allegations, there are serious ramifications when a case goes to trial and results in a large verdict against your agency
The federal suit alleges women officers experience unsanitary nursing conditions and harassment
Officers must confine their questions to ones ‘reasonably related’ to the reason for the stop
The funding comes along with new state laws requiring police to promptly submit kits for testing to avoid a backlog
The jury alleged John Mitchell was not justified in firing about 60 shots at a road-rage suspect
An agency spokesperson said ICE turned to courthouses for arrests after county and state prisons haven’t cooperated
How one organization is helping cops with an often occurring – but seldom discussed – legal and financial nightmare
Officials say Gail P. Hardy did not review four OIS incidents in a timely manner, which prevented departments from closing their internal investigations
Officers must ensure the stated basis for a no-knock entry is included in both the affidavit and the warrant
Officer Donald Revill was shot after boarding a bus to search for a suspect
Aaron Cody Smith was found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of Gregory Gunn
William Sturtevant shot Officer Jason Mertz, who was responding to a robbery call at Sturtevant’s home
This case focused not only on the significant threat of danger faced by officers at the moment they resort to lethal force, but also on officer conduct directly leading up to the shooting