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.
California’s “No Secret Police Act,” introduced by Senator Scott Wiener, would make it a misdemeanor for officers to obscure their faces
Court rules that sergeant’s alleged application of pain compliance techniques upon a recalcitrant protester may be a violation of clearly established law
Understanding the protective protocols and legal standards that shaped agents’ response during a high-security DHS event
During an argument, Jacqueline Villasenor produced a gun and said she would kill herself; German Villasenor was attempting to intervene when the gun fired, killing him
Grabbing and firing an officer’s gun during arrest results in a felon in possession of firearm conviction and a 110-month prison sentence
Former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years for deputizing several businessmen in exchange for cash payments
The family of Alfredo “Freddy” Flores, a 22-year veteran of the department, said that the LASD failed to comply with orders by state regulators to inspect and clean the trailers
Court reaffirms Graham totality standard giving officers legal clarity
The 11th Circuit affirms an officer’s shooting of an armed bystander during an active shooter incident at an Alabama mall
The 10th Circuit denied qualified immunity to deputies who made a warrantless entry and allowed a K-9 to bite the resident
The 10-time convicted felon fled Washington with help from his mother after firing at Thurston County deputies during a pursuit
Mark Dial was convicted of manslaughter and other charges for fatally shooting Eddie Irizarry, who was holding a knife inside a car; he was acquitted of third-degree murder
Jurors were split in the case of former Grand Rapids PD officer Christopher Schurr, who said he acted in self-defense during fatal encounter with Patrick Lyoya
Dial testified he heard his partner yell “gun” and thought he saw a gun in Eddie Irizarry’s hand before the 2023 officer-involved shooting occurred
Thomas Mascia claimed he was shot in the leg by a driver; instead, prosecutors say, he staged the scene of the incident by scattering shell casings, then shot himself at a park
When officers responded to a domestic violence call at the wrong address, a man opened the door and pointed a gun at them; a judge ruled the threat against officers was imminent
The DOJ stated it will no longer hold the city to the terms laid out in the agreement; the Minneapolis PD will still be held under a consent decree by the Minnesota Human Rights Department
Jimmie K. Nelms and another man were sentenced to serve two life sentences for the aggravated kidnapping and murder of Trooper Conroy O’Brien following a traffic stop
The $5 million settlement resolves a civil suit despite DOJ and Capitol Police findings that a U.S. Capitol Police officer acted lawfully in the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt
Benjamin Ritchie was put to death by lethal injection for the 2000 murder of Beech Grove Officer Bill Toney, who was shot during a foot pursuit
The new law dissolves citizen review panels in at least six Iowa cities, with lawmakers citing a need to protect officers from political scrutiny
HB202 rewrites Alabama’s police immunity law and adds new definitions for courts to determine whether an officer is justified in a use of force and immune from prosecution
The 10th Circuit ruled the bullet seizure during surgery was lawful, justified by medical consent under the Fourth Amendment
The 10th Circuit upheld the admissibility of a voluntary confession, ruling it was Fifth Amendment compliant given the friendly interview
“To assess whether an officer acted reasonably in using force, a court must consider all … facts and events leading up to the climactic moment,” the majority opinion stated
The force used by officers against a man they mistakenly believed was a wanted suspect was justified due to his resistance during the arrest, a judge ruled
Columbus officers could be heard on BWC footage before the shooting identifying themselves as police and ordering a man to drop knives he was using to threaten another man
The agency said the law “appears on its face to violate the First Amendment” by not providing an exception “for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic Priests”
Former Grand Rapids Police officer Christopher Schurr fatally shot a man after the man gained control of his TASER
A jury took about 8 1/2 hours over two days to find Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty on all charges after a nine-day trial in state court in Memphis
Full tuition waivers to the state’s colleges would be available after six years of service; line of duty death benefits would increase from $25,000 to $100,000 under the bill
“This is absolutely outrageous, to fundraise off the assassination of a law enforcement officer,” said Jay McDonald, president of FOP Ohio
The plan boosts DHS funding by 65% to support mass removals, complete the border wall, and expand the Border Patrol and customs workforce to 26,383 officers
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