Let Attorney Blackwell Defend You Against
Police Brutality

Police misconduct can take many forms. Quite often, the misconduct of police involves undue violence against the people they have sworn an oath to protect and serve. Police brutality is illegal but officers are protected under what we call the color of law. More often than not, the doctrine of qualified immunity grants immunity from civil suits unless a plaintiff shows that the officer violated “clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known” even if the plaintiff’s rights were clearly infringed upon. It’s important to note that rights guaranteed under state law cannot be used to overcome qualified immunity. If the federal / constitutional right was clearly established at the time of the violation, the police officer cannot use the doctrine of qualified immunity as a defense. Once a plaintiff establishes the officer cannot invoke the doctrine of qualified immunity he can be held personally liable for his actions.