How police officers might be held criminally liable for their misconduct - Essay Example

Summary

It is good to be rich and powerful but only if one does so in the limits of law. There are many cases where law enforcement personnel are found liable for their misconduct…

Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing

GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.3% of users find it useful

How police officers might be held criminally liable for their misconduct

Read Text Preview

Subject: Law
Type: Essay
Level: Ph.D.
Pages: 1 (250 words)
Downloads: 2
Author: amparoledner

Extract of sample "How police officers might be held criminally liable for their misconduct"

Criminal Liabilities of Police Officers [Pick the How police officers might be held criminally liable for theirmisconductHave a look at the world right now, not only individuals but nations also trying to be rich and powerful. It is good to be rich and powerful but only if one does so in the limits of law. There are many cases where law enforcement personnel are found liable for their misconduct. Each police officer takes oath that being a law enforcer it is my primary duty to serve mankind, to safeguard lives and property, o protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence and disorder.

Yet circumstances arise where these officers get themselves indulged into activities and hence held criminally liable. Sometimes they take bribe; sometimes their personal enmities and sometimes they may be threatened by the criminals. (Posner, 1981)One of the historical examples of such an incidence is the Guildford Pub Bombings (England). These bombings were planned by Irish Republican Army (IRA). On Oct 5, 1947 two bombs detonated at two pubs (Horse & Groom Pub and Seven Stars Pub) in Guildford, England.

These pubs were targeted as they were famous for British Army personnel being stationed at Pirbright (a village near Surrey, England). The Metropolitan Police was pressurized to cope with the situation. They apprehended four people (three men and a woman). These people are popularly known as the “Guildford Four”. These were: Gerry Conlon, Paul Hill, Patrick Armstrong, and Carole Richardson. These people were erroneously convicted by torture by the Metropolitan Police. They served prison for about fifteen years.

They appealed many times to High Court ad at last their convictions were overturned, when it was proved that their confessions were obtained by torture. (Greenfield and Osborn, 1995)Work CitedPosner, R. A. (1981). Excessive Sanctions for Governmental Misconduct in Criminal Cases. Wash. L. Rev., 57, 635.Greenfield, S., & Osborn, G. (1995). Pulped Fiction-Cinematic Parables of (In) Justice. USFL Rev., 30, 1181.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF How police officers might be held criminally liable for their misconduct

The Blue Wall of Silence

their misconduct is not only tolerated but accepted and defended.... In every case fast results are demanded by the aggrieved party, but being part of the law enforcing agency it has to follow the rules and while doing so, an investigating officer has pressure building at the back of his mind, that his actions and reporting are liable for legal scrutiny.... police officers have their own convention of defending their colleagues and taking them to task when necessary....

11 Pages (2750 words) Term Paper

Police excessive force and the qualified immunity defense

The qualified immunity defense had been enacted to ensure that people in the position of authority would be able to ensure that they would not be held liable for use of excessive force within the boundaries of performing their job.... hellip; By infringing on many of these Constitutional Rights by people in authority through such conditions as excessive force many people are led to believe that the police have overstepped their boundaries. The historical development of qualified immunity was to "judicially create an affirmative defense that protects federal, state and local officials sued in their individual capacity" (Texas Law Review, 2004) There are always going to be pros and cons with this type of judicial loop hold in placed for any official that decrease the use of qualified immunity should they feel they are going to be held in the negative light upon examination in a court case. A Qualified Immunity defense is defined under 42 U....

15 Pages (3750 words) Essay

Police Corruption

This corruption may be anything from forging documents to sexual misconduct, and all points in between.... ?? Still another reason is that there is a sense of fear that is instilled into the officers, as officers see whistle-blowers suffering social, psychological and career consequences from their willingness to report, and these officers do not want the same to happen to them.... This is both because of the blue code of silence and because individual police forces are reluctant to disclose information about corruption within their ranks, because it leads citizens to put pressure on the forces, which, in turn, makes it more difficult for these forces… There is a definite problem with police corruption in police forces all over the world....

7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Police Misconduct

Thesis Statement: Because of evidence of previous violations of the public's trust, uses of excessive force, and legal implications of their behavior, governments should have measures in place to protect the public from police misconduct. iii.... Because police misconduct can Police misconduct Thesis, Outline, and Works Cited Thesis ment: Because of evidence of previous violations of the public'strust, uses of excessive force, and legal implications of their behavior, governments should have measures in place to protect the public from police misconduct....

2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

Terrorism, Social Stigma and Ethics in Law Enforcers

police officers are now using most of their resources and time for training in readiness for future possible terrorist attacks.... police officers interact with the society that enables them to exchange information and gather intelligence.... hile still in their line of duty, police officers are required to exhibit the recommended law enforcement behaviors in fighting terrorism and maintaining personal liberties.... Using torture while interrogating people and suspects are wrong as the officers will be acting against their basic responsibility of upholding the people's personal liberties (Delattre, 2006)....

5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Lesson to be learned from Ferguson

It is, however, the use of excessive In a society increasingly characterized by advanced communication technology, it has become easy for members of the public to observe and react to such acute police misconduct.... The police are organized to form public institutions entrusted with the responsibility of law enforcement.... Further, revelations of police brutality not only shake the public's confidence in law enforcers, but may also spark community protests and civil unrest....

12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Misconduct by Government Officials

This is a sign that in far too many cases, the same people who are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring truth and justice since they are the law enforcement officers and mainly the prosecutors lose focus of this obligation and instead of working towards the maintenance of justice they mainly focus on securing convictions for themselves regardless of the consequences placed on the defendant....

7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Criminal Liability Development

Adam can be held criminally liable for the death of Serena.... A reasonable person in such circumstances would not have committed the act that Adam did and therefore he can be considered to have the men's rea required to find him criminally liable.... Riding, the court held that a driver who is a learner is expected to meet the standards of a qualified driver....

10 Pages (2500 words) Essay