It can be difficult to discern when a person has been abused by an officer simply because of the amount of power and authority they hold. However, a person should not be intimidated, and they should find a good police brutality attorney to discuss their encounter with the officer and to see if their case qualifies as police brutality. If a person has been abused by an officer in any way, they can file a complaint against the officer and possibly even file a lawsuit against them depending on how severe the abuse was.
Anyone who has been hurt by an officer may be entitled to receive compensation for their injuries. If officers abuse their power and a person has enough evidence to prove the misconduct of the officer an attorney may be able to demand full compensation for any losses a person endured because of the officer.
Under section 1983 of the Federal Civil Act, individuals have their constitutional rights protected and no one can take these away from a person, not even a police officer. Even individuals who have clearly committed a crime must be treated with a certain level of integrity. Officers are not allowed to lash out and use their weapons repetitively on people unless they have a very valid reason for doing so.
A police brutality attorney should be contacted when any of the following occurs:
Officers are expected to uphold their responsibility of protecting society without causing unnecessary harm to those around them. Officers are only allowed to use force when there is a valid reason for it. If a person is compliant and is harmless the officer must treat them with respect. If they fail to do so their actions can be counted as abuse of power and they can be held legally accountable for the suffering they caused.
How common is police brutality?
Brutality by officers is very common and every year nearly 10% of officers have a complaint filed against them. Fatal shootings by police officers are far more common and amount to roughly two every single day. These numbers are alarming and the only way to really stop this brutality from spreading further is to ensure that a person speaks up when they see an officer misbehaving or when they have an unfair encounter with a police officer.
An attorney can help a person file their complaint properly and take legal action if required.