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Police abuse: Sovereign Immunity protects the abusers

The very notion that Police Officers have immunity to any prosecution for any crime is absurd. In fact, the only person(s) who have any kind of immunity in prosecution is a judge.

When a Police Officer dresses for the evening shift, he wears a vest that is supposed to protect him from a life-threatening bullet. That vest does not protect him from a life-threatening charge of a criminal act or the civil suit that will surely follow. He has no guarantee that he will have a job tomorrow. He only knows that he's out there, on the street, with all the bad guys trying to make his piece of the world a better place.

The enemy is sometimes not the bad guy dealing drugs, sometimes it's the citizen who complains about the officer who wrote him a ticket he "didn't deserve". These type of complaints come in on a routine basis. In this case, the citizen doesn't wish to file a "formal" complaint, just wants it "noted". There are other complaints that need to be "formal" and not just "noted". When a citizen files a written complaint, typically, it is processed through the Departments' Internal Affairs Division/Office. The Internal Affairs personnel evaluate the complaint and then begin an investigation. This would include interviewing the officer and potential witness(es), taking statements, and recorded for later use. During this process, the Officer may be suspended with or without pay pending the outcome of the investigation. This investigation may take weeks or even months. If the latter is the case, the Officer has gone for a month without pay. At the conclusion of the investigation, a recommendation is made to the Chief of Police as to whether or not the Officer should be terminated or charged with a crime.

When the charge is sufficient, the Officer is formally charged and does get place in a jail, just as any other criminal. They receive a little better treatment than other criminals based on their previous occupation, however that's limited to being isolated from other inmates. They don't get better food or sleeping quarters or any other special treatment. They are isolated only for their protection from other inmates who may have a vendetta against the Officer.

Police Officers are sued on a routine basis for acts they commit or are accused of committing. Typically, the Officer is sued in first person, and then the Department is included in the suit, followed by the Training Institution. In the end, if the officer is successfully sued he typically loses his job and his certification, preventing him from working again in that state.

The system is not perfect, and there are those who seemingly get away with their shenanigans, but there are those who don't.

All considered, there is no immunity just because you happen to wear a badge and carry a gun.

Learn more about this author, TheUnexpectedBill.
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Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Police abuse: Sovereign Immunity protects the abusers

  • 1 of 6

    by TheUnexpectedBill

    The very notion that Police Officers have immunity to any prosecution for any crime is absurd. In fact, the only person(s)

    read more

  • 2 of 6

    by Theresa Chaze


    Title: Police abuse: Sovereign Immunity protects the abusers
    Article: Police Abuse: Sovereign Immunity Protects the Abusers





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  • 3 of 6

    by Martin W. Schwartz

    Not true by any means. Law enforcement officers in every American and Canadian jurisdiction are liable to be sued for misconduct.

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  • 4 of 6

    by AMERICAN MAN

    Warning this is an inane (insane) rant of sort that may be upsetting to any one who just has faith that all government agents

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  • 5 of 6

    by Cheephillippe

    It doesn't bother me at all to write a second Helium article on law enforcement abuses. What bothers me is the need to do

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Police abuse: Sovereign Immunity protects the abusers

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