Vol. 31 No. 3- PERF PUBLISHES TROUBLING “PRINCIPLES” CONCERNING USE OF FORCE

PERF PUBLISHES TROUBLING “PRINCIPLES” CONCERNING USE OF FORCE On January 29, 2016, the Police Executive Research Forum (“PERF”) issued a 12-page policy statement entitled “Use of Force: Taking Policing to a Higher Standard; 30 Guiding Principles.” In it, PERF basically advocates 13 separate policy recommendations, concerning tactics, training and equipment. Several of the policy recommendations […]

Vol. 31 No. 2- NEW “GUN VIOLENCE RESTRAINING ORDER” IN EFFECT AS OF 1/1/16

NEW “GUN VIOLENCE RESTRAINING ORDER” IN EFFECT AS OF 1/1/16 As of January 1, 2016, AB 1014, the “Gun Violence Restraining Order” (“GVRO”) went into effect. This new law pertains to individuals who own/possess/have access to any firearm or any ammunition and, by a finding of a court, who pose an immediate threat to themselves […]

Vol. 31 No 1. TASER USE RESTRICTED BY 4th CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS

TASER USE RESTRICTED BY 4th CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS On January 11, 2016, the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held, in the case of Armstrong v. Village of Pinehurst et al, that the Fourth Amendment prohibits the use of a taser [an electronic control device (ECD)], unless the police can articulate an “immediate […]

Vol. 30 No. 27 CAN SPEECH ALONE BE A PENAL CODE 148 VIOLATION?

CAN SPEECH ALONE BE A PENAL CODE 148 VIOLATION? On December 18, 2015, the California Court of Appeal held, in the case of In re Chase C.,that a minor did not violate PC 148 when he encouraged others to not cooperate with a sheriff’s deputy. The court stated that “we are asked to decide a […]

Vol. 31 No. 4- NEGLIGENT SUPERVISION AND EXECUTIVE LIABILITY

NEGLIGENT SUPERVISION AND EXECUTIVE LIABILITY Following is an article I wrote for the current issue of “The Police Chief” magazine, which is published by the International Association of Chiefs’ of Police (IACP) and distributed nationally and internationally to all members of IACP. As we all know, the current environment reflects open hostility by certain members […]

Vol. 31 No. 9 – A NEW FIRST AMENDMENT CASE INVOLVING A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE

A NEW FIRST AMENDMENT CASE INVOLVING A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE On April 26, 2016, the United States Supreme Court, in a 6 – 2 decision, held in Heffernan v. Paterson, New Jersey et al. that a public sector employee’s First Amendment right was violated even though the employee had not, in fact, engaged in protected political […]