You can recover economic damages to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, if your injuries caused you to miss work.
State legislators and activist groups in Rhode Island are multiplying their efforts to repeal the controversial Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights (LEOBoR), an act which many believe shields officers from being prosecuted for police brutality and other types of misconduct charges. Rhode Island is one of 14 states that still have such a bill.
There have been numerous cases of police brutality in Rhode Island over the past few years, but only a few of the agents involved were held accountable. While the LEOBoR does complicate matters, that doesn’t mean that you cannot see justice done when your civil rights are violated. All you need is a knowledgeable Rhode Island police brutality lawyer to take charge of your case and file a civil complaint on your behalf.
Use of excessive violence is perhaps the most common type of police misconduct, but police brutality lawyers in Providence, RI, can help you with other types of abuse, such as false arrest, illegal searches and seizures, malicious prosecution, abuse while in custody, etc.
When is an officer guilty of using excessive force?
Law enforcement agents are allowed to use a reasonable amount of force in the course of their duty, but only if this is strictly necessary. Kicking or using a taser on an unarmed suspect who is not resisting arrest is illegal, yet plenty of officers use this type of violence. Why? Because they feel they can act with impunity and their superior officers don’t mind it. The use of deadly weapons is also restricted to a very limited number of situations. Agents are not allowed to use firearms against unarmed suspects. Even if a suspect tries to flee, the agents can only use their guns to stop them if that person is considered dangerous to the general public or there’s the risk they might destroy evidence in a case.
Many people are injured when police officers use excessive force and some are left with permanent disabilities. If you were injured in such an incident, an experienced police brutality lawyer can help you win the damages you deserve. You cannot bring criminal charges against the guilty parties, only the state prosecution can do that, but you can at least be compensated for your suffering. You can recover economic damages to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, if your injuries caused you to miss work. At the same time, you can ask for non-economic damages, as compensation for your pain and your mental trauma. In some cases you can claim non-economic damages even if you were not injured in the course of a police action.
What are false arrests?
If you are falsely arrested, without a warrant or without a good reason, at least, you need to contact a good criminal defense lawyer right away. The Fourth Amendment protects you against illegal seizures. If you were detained for a significant period of time, even if you were not taken to jail, this is still a violation of your constitutional rights. Also, any ulterior charges resulting from an illegal arrest are also illegal and your lawyers will fight to have them dismissed.
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