[Alberta's Child]

Eliminate qualified immunity from police officers and you'd no longer have the police operating as a government agency or department. Without qualified there would be absolutely no incentive for any government to even have a police force at all under its government jurisdiction. Instead, a government would have every reason to contract their police work out to security firms like Blackwater. Does that sound like a scenario you'd recommend?

Here's an interesting little tidbit from my own field of work where the issue of sovereign immunity has come into play ...

Remember all the controversy a few years about the numerous cases around the country where state governments sold long-term leases on toll roads to private companies -- where almost all of the investors who bought these leases were foreign interests? Do you even hear any clamoring about this anymore?

I haven't heard a peep about it in years -- and there's a reason for it: Most of these transactions have been colossal blunders for the investors. And a big reason for this is tied to a key ruling in a civil lawsuit some years ago -- where the private company operating the Indiana Toll Road lost a legal battle to claim sovereign immunity in their operation of the roadway. So the State of Indiana would have sovereign immunity if it operated the highway, but a private company would not.

Guess what ... No investor with half a brain would ever buy a toll road concession under these terms.

[NobleFree]

“Eliminate qualified immunity from police officers and you’d no longer have the police operating as a government agency or department.”

How ya figure?

[Lurker]

“ Instead, a government would have every reason to contract their police work out to security firms like Blackwater. Does that sound like a scenario you’d recommend?”

It sure does. They can be sued civilly and prosecuted criminally so I don’t see a problem with it.

L