The Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday narrowly passed a bill to eliminate qualified immunity for police, a legal defense that often prevents officers from facing civil lawsuits, just days after rejecting the same bill.
The version of the law that was sent to the governor leaves the door open for creating an entirely new state-level office to investigate police shootings, rather than the attorney general’s office.
When seconds mean lives and officers and other public safety professionals are responding from all directions, it's critical that someone shows leadership.
The “diaphragm clause” of the law — which allows for DAs to bring a misdemeanor charge if an officer uses any move during an arrest that could limit breathing — “stands to criminalize the lawful use of force, (and) threatens both police and public safety,” the lawsuit reads.
Sexton was watching officers distribute speeding tickets in the city's downtown area on January 30, 2019, when he began filming and yelling obscenities and insults at officers, including "F*** the police."
Your agency's use-of-force policy needs to specify when the baton can be used, the legal justification for its use, and what to do afterward.
The attorney said he will argue that the charges against Thao are not supported by probable cause. Prosecutors must prove that Thao knew former officer Derek Chauvin and others were going to commit a crime and “intended his presence or actions to further the commission of that crime,” the motion says.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleges that the officers violated Floyd’s constitutional rights. It claims that the city “caused officers [to] act with impunity and without fear of retribution” and failed to properly train police.
The grand jury had been suspended on March 13 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And legal experts say Howard's grand jury subpoena with no grand jury in session could be an ethical or possibly criminal issue.
Under current law, anyone who is convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer is guilty of a Class 6 felony and is subject to a mandatory minimum term of confinement of six months, according to Virginia code.
The Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act says that officers and retired officers can carry concealed in all areas of the United States. But it's not that simple.
On one major point of dissension between the parties, the Republican bill leaves intact the “qualified immunity” standard that Democrats want to erode, to make it easier for law enforcement officials to be sued for misconduct.
Issues covered include: use-of-force trends, de-escalation and incapacitation, developing scenario-based training, how video is being weaponized, crowd control and First Amendment protection, force reporting and force investigation, public perception of police and use of force, and police and media relations.
The Supreme Court passed up at least seven cases Monday that would have allowed it to reconsider aspects of qualified immunity for police.
The bill, called the “Justice in Policing Act,” would ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases, according to a House Democratic aide and a bill summary obtained by NBC News.
From ECWs, to sprays, to impact munitions, these less-lethal devices provide options for gaining compliance from individuals and crowds.
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