Police Misconduct Lawyer in California

Over the past few years, police shootings have started to make headlines more and more. The tragic news is that they have been occurring for decades, and too many lives have been lost. Whether you have lost a loved one during a police shooting or you have suffered a physical or mental injury as a victim of a police shooting, it is important to know your rights may have been violated. If that is the case, you can pursue legal action to recover financial compensation for your injuries. Our California police shooting lawyers at Burris Nisenbaum Curry & Lacy, can help you prove your case.

Law enforcement officials are meant to protect the communities they serve. In California, the majority of officers follow the rules and standards outlined in the law and that they learned during their training. There are some individuals in law enforcement, though, who abuse the power that has been granted to them. If someone you love has been the victim of deadly force by a police officer, it is important to know that you may have a legal claim against the offending official. Our California deadly force lawyers at Burris Nisenbaum Curry & Lacy, can help you and your family claim the full damages that are justly yours.

Police officers are allowed to use a certain amount of force while performing their official duties. However, the force they use must be reasonable and necessary. Force can also only be used when an officer needs to defend themselves or others, or when they need to make an arrest. Too often, though, police officers use force that is not considered reasonable or necessary. Excessive force is often a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees everyone in America the right to protection from an arrest or search and seizure without probable cause.

There is little more that is frightening in life than being convicted of a crime you did not commit. Whether you were found guilty by a jury or a judge, or you pleaded guilty for a reduction of charges, you suffered harm as a result. You may have already spent weeks, months, or years behind bars and as a result, have lost relationships, employment, and other opportunities many people take for granted.

Police officers in California and throughout the United States cannot simply arrest anyone any time. All arrests must be lawful, meaning that police officers must follow certain rules and procedures. Under the Fourth Amendment, law enforcement officials must have either probable cause or a warrant to arrest someone.

The majority of police officers throughout California view everyone they serve and protect equally. Unfortunately, certain police officers tend to suspect individuals of being guilty of a crime based solely on the color of their skin. If a police officer stops, searches, or arrests an individual based solely on this factor alone, and without probable cause that a crime was actually committed by the person, that is racial profiling.

K-9 units are an invaluable tool for law enforcement. But police dogs are also dangerous to the public because (a) as animals they can be unpredictable or difficult to control once unleashed, and (b) they can be trained and ordered to inflict harm.