There are plenty of misconceptions people have when they hear about police misconduct. The only thing that pop’s up in their mind is the police using force to arrest people. But there is much more to this than just using power. Your Las Vegas Civil Rights Attorney will educate you about police misconduct in detail. But until then, here is a short explanation of what exactly police misconduct is.
Police Misconduct: Explained.
“Police misconduct” alludes to an officer’s wrongful or improper behavior. It may include infringement of the laws that have been emanated by the state, local, or federal government.
Several instances have been reported for police misconduct. The most common ones are excessive force, corruption, racial discrimination, witness tampering, wrongful use of authority, etc. These violations can harm someone physically and breach the police code of conduct.
Typical forms of police misconduct.
- Wrongful arrest: For a police officer to arrest someone, they need probable cause for the crime that the convicted will do. Or the police need a solid piece of evidence stating the convict’s crime. If a police officer arrests someone without any cause or proof, it is considered an unlawful arrest or a full false arrest. For example, if the police just arrested you because you were arguing with the officer about overspeeding even when you were not, this will be considered a wrongful arrest.
- Wrongful search or seizure: Any police officer or a law enforcement body needs an official warrant to search your property and seize it. It can be from cars to properties, etc. For instance, if the police just randomly barge into your home without any legal notice and start investigating it, it will be called a wrongful search or seizure in this scenario.
- Excessive use of force: Excessive use of force is by police officers when making an arrest or investigating a crime. This kind of cruelty usually results in significant physical harm, if not death. Certain rights have been given equally to the police officers and the civilians being arrested. Still, if the officer uses force that hurts the other person, the police officer can be charged for excessive use of force.
- Sexual misconduct: Sexual misconduct or Sexual harassment is a very heinous crime not only for police but for civilians too. The police may use their power and authority to force someone they have arrested or detained. There have been incidents that have been reported where officers were involved with women that were intoxicated or engaged in human trafficking.
There can be several instances that can be drawn for police misconduct. That is why you must be well aware of your rights as a citizen and know what must be done. Irrespective of whatever the situation is, you must cooperate with the police and must call your lawyer in place to further deal with it,
