What are some of the civil liability issues associated with policing? How can civil liability be reduced?

What will be an ideal response?


There are two types of civil liability brought against law enforcement personnel: state and federal. The most common sources of lawsuits against the police are assault, battery, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution.

Increasing numbers of suits have been brought in federal courts. These cases generate a good deal of media publicity and criticism directed at police departments. The U.S. Supreme Court has supported a type of qualified immunity for individual officers.

Departments may protect themselves from lawsuits to a significant degree by providing proper and adequate training to their personnel, and by creating regulations limiting employee authority. Because civil lawsuits against police probably will not decline in number, most police departments have started to carry liability insurance to protect themselves against the financial damages of losing a large civil suit.

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Physical barriers in direct-supervision jails are far more common than in traditional jails

a. True b. False

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Specific _______ attempts to prevent a particular defendant from committing future crimes

Fill in the blank(s) with correct word

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Answer the following statement(s) true (T) or false (F)

1. Serious injuries as a result of bodily force are common. 2. Obesity is contributing factor to positional asphyxia deaths. 3. In order to prevent positional asphyxia, officers should never sit or lean on the abdomen of a subject. 4. Police officers are allowed to use deadly force to apprehend any fleeing felon. 5. The Federal Bureau of Investigation maintains a national database tracking incidents where police shoot and kill subjects.

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The medical model views criminal behavior as the expression of:

A. a purely genetic defect. B. a result of an unhealthy lifestyle. C. a rational choice. D. a moral sickness.

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