Police Liability and Risk Management

Law enforcement agencies and their employees are continually at risk for potential liability related to torts, civil rights violations, and employment law issues. Litigation may involve suits by the public against officers and the administration, actions by the administration against officers, or actions by officers against the administration or members of the public they serve. Knowledge of these risks and understanding how they arise are essential to law enforcement officers, administrators, and their legal counsel.

Police Liability and Risk Management: Torts, Civil Rights, and Employment Law is written by an attorney and a 34-year law enforcement veteran who knows his way around the streets and the courtroom. Dr. Robert J. Girod combines decades of teaching and practical experience with legal and academic education to compile this practical source of case law and risk management principles. The book is designed to help law enforcement professionals reduce police liability and avoid the risk of litigation—or, in the event a lawsuit does arise—to manage liability and defend themselves.

In our litigious society, suits involving the law enforcement community are becoming a more common occurrence and can destroy an officer’s career or cast a pall on an entire department. By understanding the laws governing these types of issues, law enforcement professionals are better able to monitor the sources of liability and implement risk management strategies to shield their policies, practices, procedures, and protocols from the danger of liability.