Thanks to Colorado's Reforms, Cops Who Forced Children To Lie on the Pavement at Gunpoint Might Be Held Accountable
A state law eliminated qualified immunity as a defense for abusive officers.
Excessive Force
Two Federal Lawsuits Say the Houston Police Department's Culture of Corruption and Impunity Killed an Innocent Couple
The families of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas say the city's policies and practices invited Fourth Amendment violations.
The Houston Cop Charged With Murdering Dennis Tuttle During a Disastrous Drug Raid Portrays His Victim As the Aggressor
After breaking into Tuttle's home with no legal justification, police killed his dog and his wife.
Another Houston Cop Is Indicted for Murder Because of a 2019 Drug Raid That Killed a Middle-Aged Couple
So far a dozen narcotics officers have been charged as a result of the investigation triggered by the disastrous operation.
Justice Department Sues Alabama Over Its Violent Prison System
The suit follows a scathing 2019 report detailing unchecked violence and sexual assault against incarcerated people.
Phoenix Will Pay $3 Million Settlement After Police Shot a Man During a Noise Complaint. The Officers Are Still Employed.
And taxpayers will foot the bill.
SCOTUS Considers Whether James King Has Any Recourse Against the Cops Who Choked and Beat Him for No Good Reason
According to the government, a law aimed at helping victims like King prevents him from holding his assailants accountable.
'Zero Accountability' for Cops Who Choked and Beat an Innocent Man
The federal government wants the Supreme Court to rule that the victim has no recourse.
Protests and Looting Continue After Philadelphia Cops Fatally Shoot a Knife-Wielding Man Experiencing a 'Mental Crisis'
Walter Wallace's family says the officers could have defused the situation without using lethal force.
Utah Legislator: If You Don't Want to Be Attacked by Police Dogs, 'Stay Home'
The state legislature is considering reforms in response to the use of dogs against cooperative suspects.
Freed To Speak, Grand Juror Says Charges in Breonna Taylor's Death Were Never Considered, Let Alone Rejected
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said "the grand jury agreed" that indicting the two officers who shot Taylor was inappropriate.
North Carolina Mother Sues School Resource Officer Who Handcuffed and Pinned Her 7-Year-Old Autistic Son
Just the latest in a string of incidents involving school police and children with disabilities
These 7th Circuit Decisions Suggest Amy Coney Barrett Takes a Constrained View of Qualified Immunity
In several cases, the Supreme Court nominee voted to allow civil rights lawsuits against officers accused of misconduct.
Nearly 2 Years After Houston Drug Warriors Killed Rhogena Nicholas, Her Family May Get a Chance To Find Out What Happened
Despite the city's stubborn resistance, a judge will finally consider the family's request to depose police supervisors.
Cop Who Fired 16 Rounds at Breonna Taylor Said He Only Surmised That He Had Used His Gun
Drug warriors gratuitously created the chaotic situation that state prosecutors say justified the use of deadly force.
The Legal Response to Breonna Taylor's Death Shows How Drug Prohibition Transforms Murder Into Self-Defense
The hail of bullets that killed her can be justified only in a country that uses violence to enforce politicians' pharmacological prejudices.
Louisville Will Pay $12 Million to Settle Lawsuit by Breonna Taylor's Family
The agreement also includes several reforms aimed at preventing reckless drug raids based on dubious evidence.
Viral Videos Show Georgia Deputies Beating a Passenger for Not Having a Driver's License
Roderick Walker told deputies that he didn't need an ID since he wasn't driving.
Derek Chauvin Blames His Former Colleagues for George Floyd's Death
The former Minneapolis police officer, who kneeled on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, says two other cops failed to de-escalate the situation.
A Man Died After Police Held Him on Hot Asphalt for 6 Minutes. He Was Reported for Loitering.
Excessive force is certainly an issue. So is overcriminalization.
Cop Who Allegedly Kneed a Subdued Suspect in the Eye '20 to 30 Times' Gets Qualified Immunity
"I believe there is sufficient evidence of a clearly established Fourth Amendment violation," writes the dissenting judge.
The Democrats Should Not Be Presenting Houston's Police Chief As an Avatar of Reform
Trying to distract attention from the deadly corruption in his own department, Art Acevedo demands "action at the national level."
Does This Video Show a Cop Aiding and Abetting George Floyd's Murder?
Tau Thao repeatedly dismissed bystanders' concerns as his colleagues used a fatal prone restraint.
Most Americans Don't Trust Cops Much, a New Gallup Poll Reveals
The results reflect the impact of increasing publicity about police abuses.
CBP Official Allegedly Said Agents Should 'Beat That Tonk Like a Piñata Until Candy Comes Out'
The 2012 internal affairs report complaint was filed by a use-of-force instructor who warned the advice could lead to lawsuits.
National Guardsman Contradicts Trump Administration's Account of Use of Force Against Protesters
A National Guard officer will testify that the June 1 clearing of protesters outside the White House was "an unnecessary escalation of the use of force" and "deeply disturbing."
Judge Orders Federal Officers in Portland To Stop Harassing and Assaulting Journalists and Legal Observers
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon reminds the feds that they are bound by the First Amendment.
Trump Deploys Lawlessness Against Lawlessness
The president’s heavy-handed response to protests against police brutality belies his promise of "law and order."
Dallas Cops Who Joked About Pinning a Man to the Ground Until He Stopped Breathing Get Qualified Immunity
The decision vividly illustrates how the doctrine shields police from accountability for using excessive force.
Justice Department Finds Massachusetts Drug Squad Regularly Uses Excessive Force and Covers It Up
The report found it was "not uncommon for Narcotics Bureau officers to write false or incomplete narratives that justify their uses of force."
Qualified Immunity Is a Test for Conservatives
The judicially invented license for police abuse undermines the rule of law and the separation of powers.
Would Derek Chauvin Receive Qualified Immunity for Killing George Floyd?
The answer speaks volumes about the extent to which that doctrine protects police officers from liability for outrageous conduct.
Breonna Taylor and the Moral Bankruptcy of Drug Prohibition
She would still be alive if politicians did not insist on using violence to enforce their pharmacological prejudices.
7 Race-Neutral Solutions to Racially Skewed Law Enforcement
These reforms would protect all Americans while reducing racial disparities in policing.
The Guilt or Innocence of the Cop Who Killed Rayshard Brooks Has Nothing to Do With George Floyd's Death
The felony murder charge against Garrett Rolfe hinges on whether he reasonably believed Brooks posed a threat.
Racially Skewed Policing Is Not a Statistical Mirage
One need not believe every cop is a bigot to recognize that the problem goes beyond a few "bad apples."
Treating All Neck Restraints As Deadly Force Would Help Curtail Police Brutality
That uniform rule is different from the policies favored by Donald Trump and House Democrats.
Was the Shooting of Rayshard Brooks 'Lawful but Awful'?
Every encounter with armed agents of the state has the potential to end tragically, which is a good reason to minimize such encounters.
How Not To Build a Transpartisan Coalition for Police Reform
Will progressives alienate allies and squander this opportunity for change?
Will the Cops Who Killed Kenneth Chamberlain After Illegally Breaking Into His Apartment Ever Be Held Accountable?
Responding to a medical alert they knew was erroneous, White Plains officers killed the man they supposedly were trying to help.
Some of the Charges Stemming From George Floyd's Death Should Trouble Criminal Justice Reformers
The criminal complaints against Derek Chauvin and three other officers rely on expansive liability principles that reformers usually oppose.
Recruitment of Bad Cops Shows How Misconduct Is Deeper Than a Few Bad Apples
Sometimes a "few bad apples" is systemic rot.
5 Ways to Curtail Police Violence and Prevent More Deaths Like George Floyd's
From tighter use-of-force rules to eliminating qualified immunity, here are some reforms that could make a real difference.
Buffalo Police Seriously Injure 75-Year-Old Man During Protest
Two Buffalo police officers have been suspended and the man is in the hospital.
Derek Chauvin's Murder Trial Will Be All About 'Reasonableness'
And that means breaking through the "blue wall of silence."
Black Civilians Arm Themselves To Protest Racial Violence and Protect Black-Owned Businesses
They're using their Second Amendment rights to protect local businesses from riots and looting.
Minnesota Man Dies After Video Shows Cop Pressing Knee to His Neck for Nearly 8 Minutes
Minneapolis police said George Floyd died after he "appeared to be suffering medical distress."
