Practical case law analysis, officer-safety guidance, and legal updates written for today's law enforcement professionals.
231 articles
State courts have their own sovereignty, so technically yes. But the person suing you picks the courthouse, and qualified immunity turns on what is clearly established there.
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You can see the suspect standing on his porch. Can you walk up and arrest him? CREW, the color codes, and why a public footpath does not help you.
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Here is the question. If someone on a traffic stop says, I want to see your supervisor, bring them to the scene. I m not going anywhere until I talk to your supervisor, do you have to call your supervisor, or can you just handle the situation and tell them to go down to the police
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Hello everyone. Question for you: can you arrest a suspect who committed domestic violence if he is standing in his fenced in front yard? This question comes from a brand new sergeant in Nevada. The suspect committed a domestic battery with strangulation and child abuse, the victim fled the residence with the child to a
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If a citizen tells a cop to leave during a knock and talk, does the cop have to leave? This question actually comes from a citizen, a non-police officer. I think it’s great that non-police officers are also reaching out to see if I can help them with their constitutional questions. I want to help
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A LoJack hit, cold plates, and a matching Suburban. Everything lined up and the car was not stolen. What the Ninth Circuit said about guns drawn on a property crime.
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The automobile, or motor vehicle exception allows officers to search cars for evidence, contraband, and fruits or instrumentalities of crimes without a search warrant. When you ask cops, “What does it take to search these cars?” Many of them will just say, “Probable cause.” Well, let s be technical, Technically, legally, there are four factors to
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These three golden rules come from reading thousands of court cases over the last 20 years and seeing a theme regarding what the courts are looking for. What is the first golden rule of search and seizure? The First Golden Rule, and the most important one, is: The more you articulate why you did something,
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This question is: Can you look inside a woman s purse, or a man s backpack during a pat down? Can you pat down a purse or a backpack during a Terry stop? The answer is, “Maybe.” Here s how this works. We know that patdowns are an overall minimally intrusive way to protect yourself from weapons and
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