Police Misconduct in California
Police misconduct includes a wide range of wrongful, illegal, or dishonest conduct by law enforcement officers that violate a person’s Civil Rights while carrying out their official duties. Instances of police misconduct include, but are not limited to: a wrongful arrest, excessive force, falsifying reports, police brutality, and sexual assault, including the interest for sexual courtesies in exchange for leniency. Any of these civil rights violations by an officer can mean you are entitled to money damages.
It is undeniable that all police officers have very difficult and important jobs. Officers are in a unique position where they can do great things for our society, but also cause great harm if they abuse that power. Unfortunately, an alarming percentage of police officers abuse that power and wrongfully arrest people, use excessive force, and commit a wide range of civil rights violations.
If you feel that you might have an encounter with a police officer, we always encourage people to film and videotape them to protect themselves. After all, it is your right to film them. If you feel your rights were violated, you should immediately contact the best civil rights lawyer in los angeles to get justice and compensation for your harm.
Cases of Abuse and Police Brutality
Unfortunately, officers often step over the lines and misuse their power. Just like anyone else, officers can and should be held responsible for their wrongful conduct. Not only should they be held accountable, but in certain circumstances, the government agency and police department itself may also be held liable for improperly recruiting and training the officer.
Understand that police brutality can likewise incorporate not just violence against suspects. Police brutality and wrongdoing can likewise incorporate:
o False imprisonment
o Sexual abuse
o Refusing a suspect’s medical needs
o Using an unnecessary amount of force
o Shooting
There have been various police brutality cases in the news lately, this is because (1) people are simply fed up with the years of unchecked violations; and (2) more police brutality cases are being caught on video with the widespread in-demand of smartphones.
Civil Rights for Witnessing Police Abuse or Brutality
You can hire a civil rights lawyer and consider the following points to better understand your civil rights:
• Stand at a safe distance and, if conceivable, utilize your smartphone to record what’s going on. As long as you don’t intervene in what the officers are doing and don’t stand sufficiently close to deterring their movements, you reserve the privilege to record events that are visible in public spaces.
• Don’t try to hide the way that you are recording. Cops don’t have a sensible desire for protection when performing their jobs, yet the individuals they are connecting with may have security rights that would expect you to advise them of the recording. In numerous states, you should positively make individuals mindful that you are recording them.
• Police officers may not see your photos or video without a warrant and they may not delete your photos or video under any conditions. In the event that an officer requests you to quit recording or requests you to hand over your mobile, you ought to respectfully yet firmly tell the cops that you will not stop recording and remind the official that you have the right to record. Know that a few police officers may arrest you for declining to comply despite the fact that their orders are illegal. The arrest would be unlawful; however, you should weigh the personal risk of arrest against the benefit of proceeding to record.
• Regardless of whether you can record everything, try to record all that you remember, including cops identification and patrolling vehicle numbers, which organization the cops were from, the number of cops was available and what their names were, and utilization of weapons and injuries endured by the individual halted. In the event that you can address the individual halted by police after the police leave, they may discover your contact data supportive in the event that they choose to file a complaint or pursue a lawsuit against the cops or officers.
If you need more information on civil rights and police misconduct, contact one of the best civil rights attorney in Los Angeles, California.
These blogs are meant purely for educational purposes. They contain only general information about legal matters. They are not legal advice, and should not be treated as such. If you have any specific questions about any legal matter you should consult with an attorney.