“If the law made cops personally liable there would be no cops.”
I disagree.
If an officer is violating PD policy or the law, he is acting outside his authority & therefore, “on his own”. Whether he is shooting a dog or a child, if he is committing a crime, no uniform or badge should exempt him from criminal & civil penalties.
If that means no one wants to be a policeman (I seriously doubt that), then we are better off in a society with fewer policemen & where personal responsibility is still supreme. No one should be exempt from their deadly actions.
No he isnt, because the PD/taxpayer will still be held responsible for the rogue cop actions. He still committed the crime under color of authority.
Seriously, if today the law became “All cops personally responsible”, do you think any would stay? Or enough to constitute a PD?
I know If the people I worked for would hang me out to dry, I’d quit.