Session 2 Week 4 Flashcards
Sovereign Immunity
Started with either Roman Law or English Common Law based on the belief that the King could do no wrong.
Sovereign Immunity, the great concern from the states was what?
Who ultimately ruled, the federal Government or the individual state.
The 11th amendment does what?
Limited the judiciary and shielded government with sovereign immunity. The judicial powers of the US shall not be construed to extent to any suit in law or equity commenced or prosecuted against one of the US citizens of another state by citizens or subjects of any foreign state.
In 1821 in Cohen V Virginia, the supreme court ruled the Federal Government was immune but?
citizens could bring suit against a state if the action was based on a constitutional guarantee and was later amended to prohibit suits absent the states consent.
In 1834 the Supreme Court held in US v Clark that even suits based on constitutional guarantees would be barred; why?
Public service would be hindered and public safety endangered if the state could be subjected to a suit.
Today while states are still protected, unless voluntarily relinquish their protection, municipalities are not. Therefore, municipal officers are?
susceptible to civil suit.
When should pursuits be authorized?
Exigent circumstances where their is a reasonable belief that the continuing conduct of the violator presents an immediate and life threatening danger. Murder, Sex Bat, Manslaughter etc.
Supervisor responsibilities in a pursuit?
Get on radio
determine reason for pursuit
clear traffic
Air Support K-9 (K-9 not involved in pursuit)
# of vehs involved
conditions road weather speed congestions
coordinate other units report to scene
With pursuits, keep foremost ?
The community comes first.
More cops are killed by______ than _______?
Crashes than bullets
Three old rules in order?
Sovereign Immunity
Negligence/Duty
Proximate Cause
Municipalities lost their sovereign immunity in high speed pursuits based on what case law?
City of Pinellas Park Vs. Brown (7/23/1992)
In the City of Pinellas Park v Brown it stated in the absence of an emergency…?
The method chosen for engaging in hot pursuit will remain an operational function that is not immune from liability if accomplished in a manner contrary to reason and public safety.
In Pinellas Park V Brown there were two main points. What were they?
The actions were contrary to Reason and Public Safety. At the officer failed to clear the intersection with the pursuit coming.
Proximate Cause: Definition of foreseeability issue
“Human experience suggests serious bodily injury likely to result based upon alleged facts.”
Fourth Amendment Reasonableness standard states what as it applies to pursuits?
High speed police chases with n intent to harm suspects physically do not give rise to liability under the 14th amendment. In the Lewis case the court indicated that a seizure must be an intentional act, an accidental seizure does not apply for 4th amendment purposes.
Reasonableness standard (4th amendment): Allegation that a pursuit was undertaken with deliberate indifference to passenger survival was?
insufficient to state a substantive due process claim.
In Scott v Harris it defined two things about PIT
PIT is deadly use of force and reasonableness standard applies, meaning if there are others who would be endangered.
Key factors in developing police pursuit policies
Use of force, roles and responsibilities, communications responsibilities, environmental conditions, reasons for initiating the pursuit, reasons for terminating the pursuit, interjurisdictional pursuits, vehicles, use of emergency warning devices, use of stopping devices (Most will result in use of force, Supervisor must take charge)
Supervisor’s responsibilities
Time place location supervisor take control.
Must come on the air and take charge
Need unambiguous reason for the pursuit
Needs to limit the # of units involved
Needs to direct units or other resources
Need to maintain radio contact with dispatch and relay updates as to operational or tactical potions and conditions.
Negligent appointment defined?
The hiring of an employee who was not qualified for the position. A cause of action exists against an employer for negligent hiring or retaining in his employment, The employee he knew or should have known was unfit for the job so as to create a danger of harm to third parties.
Deliberate indifference
You knew or should have known that your act or omission to act caused harm or created the danger of harm.
10 steps to hire
1 Advertise 2 short form application 3 written exam with bearing on law enforcement (pass/fail) 4 Agility test with applicant responsible for doctors approval (pass/fail) 5 long form application by hand in ink with statement on omission or admission 6 oral board (pass/fail) 7 Polygraph or CVSA (used as tool for background 8 background (pass/fail) 9 conditional offer (is specific) 10 psych/medical exam
Negligence hiring claim
The employer’s negligence in hiring or retaining the employee was the proximate cause of the injury
Under a facially valid screening program a single incident of hiring is not sufficient to show liability unless a reasonable background examination would lead a reasonable policy maker to conclude that to the applicant would lead to a deprivation of a plaintiff’s constitutional right.
Recommendations to avoid Liability: what is the most important component in the human resources system
Selection process
What should you obtain from the applicant with their application?
Authorization to contact all former employers educational institutions and personal references
Import things to do in a background
Contact each personal reference listed and follow up
Ask all former or existing employers and references to the applicants honesty competency reliability and any other pertinent information
What is required from anyone who served in the military
DD214
What guidelines should you follow when doing background?
FDLE and comply with FSS 943.13 officer minimum qualification
In both negligent hiring and negligent retention liability cases it is necessary to?
allege deliberate indifference
Negligent hiring is the ?
Breech of the employers’ duty to only hire qualified employees capable of performing the task in the job description.
Negligent retention is
the basis for the employer’ liability occurs during the course of employment
In negligent retention cases the employer becomes aware or should have become aware of the employees unfitness for employment and?
the employer fails to take further action such as investigation discipline retraining discharge or reassignment and is subject to the charge of deliberate indifference and negligent retention.
The importance of the probationary term can be the most valuable time for the employer to
Evaluate the fitness for continued employment
The necessity for a performance appraisal system requires what of supervisors
Constant retraining on how to complete them. Before transfers employees should take eval with them
Negligent assignment defined
The assignment of employees to positions or tasks for which they are either unqualified or ineligible
Negligent entrustment defined
The requirement for the agency to prevent or disallow an employee’s use of the equipment or materials they are not qualified to use.
Failure to train is a custom/practice only if
Training is inadequate
(Look to see if the training is related to specific duties or tasks. Look at rules and regulations and procedural manuals.)
(It is not enough to relate that the employee/supervisor was not trained properly. The failure may be due to other mistakes.
Inadequate training in high-risk areas such as firearms, pursuit driving, and the use of force can constitute?
Deliberate Indifference.
There should be 3 personnel jackets for every employee. Where are they?
Human Resources
Internal Affairs
Training
Many administrators are under a mistaken idea that academy and/or statutory mandated requirements for , frequently the training is reviewing officer training act as a bar to civil liability. Remember state statutes and standards serve only as?
a minimum plateau for certification. They do not address the sufficiency of training or how the training is related to spIecific high-risk tasks
Case study Gold v City of Miami: In presenting evidence that deliberate indifference to training issues was the cause for injury the compliant needs to show…?
There was an obvious need for more or better training and that the employer knew or should have known that their failure to adequately train would result in a foreseeable injury
Frequency of training, frequently the training should be?
Reviewed, evaluated, and modified.