Baltimore to leave its cops on the hook for civil suit payouts

People in a democratic country get the police they deserve.

Like your country play big brute with big guns on the international stage? Like your politicians play the role of strong men - rugged frontiersmen, soldiers, ruthless businessman?
Idolize the military?

Still wonder why your police force indulges in the same fantasies?

McNulty was less of a brutality problem than Herc.

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What data are you using to inform your opinion?

How many cops are actually held liable by a court of law, for say 2016 or 2015 (as the public release of these sorts of data usually trail “current” by a year or more).

For example, using this Baltimore case, the number of cops subjected to paying judgement/settlement sums is exactly two (2) over the past 3 years. In that jurisdiction, which has >16k sworn officers making it the 8th largest force in the US.

BTW - 2 cops out of ~16k = 0.01%

Whether they’re actually held liable is a different question altogether. Most police departments and police defendants escape under the doctrine of qualified immunity, which says even if you did screw up, you acted reasonably (or at least not unreasonably), so no recovery for plaintiff.

That’s why punitive damages is such a bizarre notion: punishment and reparation are supposed to be distinct.

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