ABSTRACT
Police officers perform duties that include apprehending criminals, providing citizens with protection, aiding persons in distress, and maintaining the safety of our streets and communities. These are difficult tasks in themselves, but matters are complicated because police officers are often the target of lawsuits. Legal actions against the police arise for many reasons, some of which are inherent in the nature of the police role, the services they provide the public, and their status as government employees (Kappeler, 2006). When police officers fail to perform their assigned duties, perform them in a negligent fashion, or abuse their authority, the possibility of civil liability exists. Civil suits against
n Defendant
n False arrest
n False imprisonment
n Good faith
n Intentional tort
n Legal duty
n Negligence
n Plaintiff
n Probable cause
n Proximate cause
n Qualified immunity
n Strict liability tort
n Tort
n Wrongful death
the police, however, are not always the product of their inability or failure to perform assigned duties. An alarming number of police liability cases are filed against the nation’s law enforcement officers claiming misconduct and abuses of authority, ranging from false arrest to allegations of excessive force and brutality. These lawsuits often allege intentional violations of constitutional, civil, and statutory rights.
