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Not true by any means. Law enforcement officers in every American and Canadian jurisdiction are liable to be sued for misconduct. All jurisdictions have waived the doctrine of sovereign immunity to allow for lawsuits against law enforcement officers and their employers, usually where their misconduct has been the product of intentional or reckless conduct.

In addition, in the United States, any police officer and his/her supervisors and most employers can be sued in federal court for civil rights violations. If the employer is a state, rather than a municipality, the state cannot be sued in federal court (a Constitutional prohibition), but may be sued in state court, usually a court of claims.

Law enforcement have protections for what turns out to be misconduct if they acted in good faith. In addition, any law enforcement officer can be charged with a crime if their misconduct is intentional or reckless and violates state or federal penal laws.

Learn more about this author, Martin W. Schwartz.
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