Appeals Court Extends Qualified Immunity To Cops Who Knew They Were Violating A Photographer's Rights

Appeals Court Extends Qualified Immunity To Cops Who Knew They Were Violating A Photographer's Rights

3 years ago
Anonymous $hYN7Hy7o7J

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210331/16401446527/appeals-court-extends-qualified-immunity-to-cops-who-knew-they-were-violating-photographers-rights.shtml

"Training and expertise." Let's talk about it.

This boilerplate phrase shows up in search warrants and other law enforcement paperwork -- something used a preemptive defense for whatever rights violations might occur subsequent to these sworn statements. Using "training and expertise" as the foundation for a defense against lawsuits and accusations of bias is handy: it shows the officer was being "reasonable" and only engaged in a roadside fishing expedition or hurled a flashbang grenade into a toddler's crib because all of this "training" led officers to believe criminals often engage in [Action X], thus justifying law enforcement [Action Y].