08 March 2021

Qualified Immunity Has Morphed into Unqualified Immunity

And so when cops screw up, or act in bad faith, they face no repurcussions. Qualified immunity protects police, turns them into 'bad apples'

Just because they are employees of the government.

Qualified immunity has made it nearly impossible for victims of police misconduct to seek justice, even in civil court. It protected police officers who used a stun gun nine times on a man having a mental health episode. It prevented a family from recovering against a police officer who shot a 10-year-old when aiming for a non-threatening family dog. It shielded police officers who stole $225,000 during a raid, and another officer who body-slammed a 5-foot-tall woman for walking away from him.

Judges think they are protecting “the police” as an institution from being terrorized by citizens wielding legal rights as a sword. In fact, this little-known legal doctrine has helped turned police forces throughout the country into “bad apple” orchards.

While the linked article deals mostly with Breonna Taylor, my interest is more about how that doctrine has been applied to Chicago PD, NYPD, LAPD and a few notable others.

Cops can literally get away with murder, most of the time.

Obviously I recommend the article, even though I am amazed at the lack of knowlege displayed by a "professional reporter." He calls Qualified Immunity a "little-known legal doctrine." Little known to whom? Anyone who writes about a single high-profile police misconduct case would trip over it many times. If you have spent more than the past 20 minutes interested in politics, you have probably encountered it. Thus proving once again that journalists know nothing.

2 comments:

  1. Gurardian ad litems have the same protection. Judges assign them to kids & the guardian "recommends" things to the court which the court universally does b/c then if say a kid dies the court can say the guardian OK'ed the kid to be with parent X who passed a drug test.

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    Replies
    1. Pretty much anyone who works for the .gov enjoys that protection. Judges who release rapists or murderers who go on to rape/murder can't be touched. Same for DAs who won't prosecute.

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