Litigation against law enforcement officers can be extremely expensive and harmful to the reputation of the department and its employees. Therefore, law enforcement agencies should (1) take such proactive measures as are possible to avoid civil litigation through personnel training, supervision, and adherence to departmental policy and procedures among other means; (2) take such steps as are necessary following high-risk incidents to document the event and actions of agency employees; and (3) maintain a strong and coordinated response to civil litigation involving the agency and its employees.

These documents provide guidelines for (1) responding to law enforcement activities that represent a potential high risk of civil liability in a manner that will decrease this risk level, and (2) responding to civil litigation that involves the department or its employees.

This topic has been archived - it is intended for reference purposes only and will not be updated.