Posted on 06/05/2020 8:46:19 AM PDT by RandFan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In a letter to congressional colleagues, Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash (MI-3) said he'll be introducing a bill to do away with the law that protects police officers from being sued while doing their jobs.
Sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Amash said it was time for congress to open-up individual officers to legal punishments who use brutal tactics on suspects.
“This pattern continues because police are legally, politically, and culturally insulated from consequences -- that must change so that these incidents of brutality stop happening" the Congressman wrote.
“He's going to try to push it through the Judiciary Committee but I have my doubts as to whether that will ever happen,” Professor Peter Henning said. Henning teaches criminal law and professional responsibility at Wayne State University.
“Immunity has been part of the system since the mid-1960s,” he said. “Getting rid of absolute immunity for police officers is going to be very, very, very difficult.”
And that difficulty Henning says could shield the former officers in Minneapolis, including former officer Derek Chauvin who was charge with second-degree murder after kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes.
“We're going to see that police officer, being charged with a crime,” Henning said. “But can he interpose absolute immunity? The answer to that question may well be yes.”
Amash’s, a former Republican, bill already has support from some of the most liberal members of the House of Representatives, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) and Michigan delegation colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13).
The bill also has a senatorial counterpart introduced by Sen. Corey Booker although the President has signaled in the past he would not sign a bill which would erode protection for officers in the line of duty.
The problem is the courts hold the department responsible.
Errors and omission insurance or Malpractice a great idea, but the cops feel protected by their jurisdictions.
Amash has gone out of his way to demonstrate what a complete anal orifice he is, and how much he has surrendered to the likes of lawlessness and anarchy. He is despicable and should be booted out of office and hounded out of this country.
and cops are protected by this in California
https://porac.org/resources/peace-officers-bill-of-rights/
The cops will simply take a page out of the USSR play book.
"They pretend to pay us and we pretend to work."
That should be a really great incentive for recruiting quality police officers. In the future, the only people who will apply for cop jobs are the minimum pay power hungry bullies.
The departments will just have pay them to liability insurance.
There is no pattern of brutality by police. There is a pattern of lawlessness, violence and resisting arrest by blacks. DOJ numbers prove it beyond doubt. This Losertarian jackass needs to take a hike.
@justinamash
Excited to announce that @RepPressley will co-lead the bill to end qualified immunity. We’ll work relentlessly to build support within Congress for this critical legislation. Police must be held accountable when they violate people’s rights.
https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1268353415295500289
Who’s Pressly?
I have supported the abolition of Qualified Immunity for 30 years.
It’s an abomination designed to protect not only cops, but every politician too. And prosecutors. And judges.
For instance: The mayors and governors and cops who are refusing to enforce the law and allowing our cities to burn, can never be held responsible.
They can conspire with antifa and BLM to burn our cities and never been held to account in the people’s courts.
Damn the schools of this “mememe” generation! Not teaching them how to learn, and parents are not teaching command sense by “example”.
Makes no sense to sue the police officer, most usually aren’t extraordinarily wealthy people whereas state and municipal bank accounts are endlessly funded.
Do that and people will sue the cops and still sue the Department and the local government. You're just increasing their payout.
Do the cops or departments want to pay 60K+ a year liability insurance per officer? Doubtful..
Of course federal law enforcement is included.
In other words, he can't make up his mind what he wants to be when he grows up. 8>)
how about officers being allowed to sue those who injure them?
“Qualified immunity is a doctrine created by federal courts, which applies only to federal cases under 42 U.S.C. 1983 (suits against state officers for violating federal constitutional rights).”
Thanks for injecting facts. Qualified immunity needs to go.
L
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