Latest Law Enforcement Headlines

All the headlines from our Law Enforcement Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Officials Say Portland Businesses Lost $23M Due to Ongoing Protests

Jul 10 2020 // Downtown businesses in Portland, Ore. have sustained about $23 million in damages and lost customers because of violent nightly protests that have brought the city to its knees, authorities said Wednesday.At a police...

Wrongful Death Suit in California Claims Guard Kept Knee on Man’s Neck

Jul 10 2020 // The parents of a California man who died while being detained on suspicion of trespassing at Sacramento’s basketball arena has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging a security guard kept his knee on the...

Updated Minnesota Driver’s Manual Provides Guidance for Legal Gun Owners

Jul 8 2020 // Minnesota public safety officials updated the state’s driver’s manual to give motorists who are legally carrying firearms some guidance on what to do if they are stopped by police, including instructions to...

Parents Sue After Son Fatally Shot in Alaska

Jul 8 2020 // The parents of a man who died after being shot by a Juneau police officer in December sued the officer, city and others, alleging wrongful death and civil rights violations.Kevin and Virginia Stephens, parents of Kelly...

Customer Reassurance Part of Job for Minnesota Agent in Aftermath of Riots

Jul 6 2020 // Dan Gutlovics did a lot of virtual hand holding during the first days of the violent protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police on May 25.Gutlovics,...

Do Police Officers Need to Buy Professional Liability?

Jul 6 2020 // Law enforcement practices and reform have been on the minds of many city government leaders in recent weeks. Some groups are advocating that police officers carry professional liability insurance.Let’s examine this...

Police Say Maryland Man Charged in Church Arson Case

Jun 29 2020 // A Maryland man faces multiple arson-related charges after police say he confessed to setting fires at a church where investigators found a Molotov cocktail in a vestibule.David Francis Creager, 47, was detained Friday and...

Arizona Man Accused of Selling LSD Sues for Wrongful Arrest

Jun 25 2020 // A Flagstaff, Ariz. man who was wrongfully arrested on suspicion of selling LSD has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, saying police ignored evidence that showed he wasn’t a drug dealer.Tremayne Nez, who is...

Do Police Officers Need to Buy Professional Liability?

Jun 24 2020 // I read an interesting article today on Insurance Journal (of course) about plans to reform law enforcement in Minneapolis. What interested me the most was that some groups were advocating making police officers carry...

Louisiana Lawmakers Block Bill Allowing Lawsuits Against Officers

Jun 22 2020 // A Louisiana lawmaker’s effort to eliminate police officers’ wide immunity from lawsuits and allow people injured by law enforcement to sue for damages in civil court was shelved by Republicans on a state House...

Supreme Court Rejects Appeals Over Police ‘Qualified Immunity’

Jun 19 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court this week refused to take up a new test of “qualified immunity,” rejecting several appeals that challenged the legal doctrine that has become a broad liability shield for police officers...

Appeals Court Rejects Qualified Immunity for West Virginia Police in Excessive Force Suit

Jun 18 2020 // A federal appeals court has vacated part of a finding that cleared five West Virginia police officers on qualified immunity grounds in an excessive force lawsuit, which was filed by the estate of a homeless black man shot...

Minnesota Lawmakers Push $300M Plan to Rebuild from Unrest

Jun 17 2020 // Democrats who control the Minnesota House announced a $300 million economic aid proposal June 15 for businesses that were damaged or destroyed during the civil unrest over the death of George Floyd.The legislation is aimed...

Reassuring Customers Part of Job for Minnesota Agent in Aftermath of Riots

Jun 15 2020 // Dan Gutlovics did a lot of virtual hand holding during the first days of the violent protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police on May 25.Gutlovics,...

Former New Mexico Detectives File Whisteblower Lawsuit

Jun 11 2020 // A whistleblower lawsuit filed by former New Mexico police detectives says they were retaliated against for repeatedly raising concerns about the operation of their department’s sex crimes unit.Former Albuquerque...

Atlanta Officers Fired for Actions Against Students Sue Mayor, Police Chief

Jun 11 2020 // Two Atlanta police officers who were fired after video showed them using stun guns on two college students pulled from a car in traffic during a large protest against police brutality are looking to get their jobs...

Qualified Immunity Suggests Police Are Above the Law: Opinion

Jun 11 2020 // The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 introduced by House Democrats this week contains a provision that is likely to become the subject of lively debate: The provision effectively eliminates the legal defense known as...

Man Charged in Minneapolis Police Station Blaze

Jun 9 2020 // Federal prosecutors have charged a St. Paul man who allegedly admitted helping fuel the fire that destroyed a Minneapolis police station with aiding and abetting arson on a night when protests over the death in police...

Reform Plan Would Require Minneapolis Officers to Buy Liability Insurance

Jun 9 2020 // Several advocacy groups presented their own recommendations to reform law enforcement practices in Minneapolis, a day after the majority of the City Council voiced support for abolishing the police department entirely in...

Police Say Man in New Hampshire Arson Case Paddled Canoe with Items for Fire

Jun 5 2020 // A man has been held without bail on a charge of setting fire to a New Hampshire middle school, and police believe he paddled a canoe from Maine with a propane tank and a bucket of flammable liquid, authorities...