Developing best practices in policing
FREE INITIAL ASSESSMENT
 
Let us conduct a no cost initial assessment of your agency and help you identify policy and training needs, and reduce your exposure to liability
PRO BONO GUARANTEE

Every client receives a percentage guarantee of pro bono hours of service as our way of giving back to our profession

"We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles"


~ Jimmy Carter


Police Canine Operations



  •  Lawsuits and claims


  •  Public relations issues


  •  Personnel concerns


  •  Outdated policies


  • Training issues


Use of Force Review
Let us conduct an independent force review of your incident or your agency policies 

Use of Force Policies



Graham v Connor has evolved



Are your policies contemporary, based on national best practices and contain principles of:

  • Deescalation
  • Proportionality
  • Necessity
  • Reasonableness

Police Policy Review, check up and revision to 'best practices standards'

  • Check your policies for national and regional best practices
  • Outdated policies equal increased liability
  • Policy confusion is unfair for officers and supervisors
  • Policies that may conflict with changes in law must be changed


How 
can 
we 
help?

Let Policing Solutions review your policies and make best practices based recommendations 

Policing Solutions can review and revise your policies to ensure consistency with use of force guidelines as well as with law and industry best practices 


Risk Management
Check up

Agencies pay out a significant amount of money to civil claims, including costly Monell Claims and punitive damages.

An objective - preventive check up can save your municipality, county or state a tremendous amount of money in the long term and reduce  insurance rates. 

If your agency HAS BEEN or is CURRENTLY subject to litigation, proactive steps to identity and resolve systemic operational, policy, training or leadership concerns can be a significant benefit, and can limit future exposure. 

Let our team of experienced law enforcement professionals and police practices attorneys help you reduce your risk 
 
What are best practices? 
POLICING BEST PRACTICES
Law enforcement practices, policies and or systems that optimally meet or exceed the prevailing industry standards, and which most effectively fulfill the needs of the community and the expectations of the organization. Effective best practice in policing will maximize officer safety and ensure efficiencies in operational tactics and training while mitigating overall exposure to liability

BEST PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY CANINE POLICING
Efficient operational practices which meet or exceed current national and local industry standards, which prioritize the safety of officers, the community and the police service dog, while mitigating injury to the suspect and reducing liability for personnel and the organization

Lawsuits can result in elimination of a specialized unit, or can result in unwanted federal or state oversight with mandatory changes to your department monitored by private companies.

Police Misconduct Is Increasingly a Financial Issue
Lawsuits are costing governments millions, and, in some cases, forcing them to shut down departments.
Reprint
BY LIZ FARMER | JUNE 20, 2018 AT 3:00 AM

For governments, getting sued unfortunately comes with the territory. But in recent years, the amount that cities are shelling out for police misconduct lawsuits has become not just a criminal justice issue but a financial one as well.

For big cities, the costs are alarming -- equivalent to huge line items in agency budgets.

In just the first eight weeks of this year, for instance, Chicago paid out $20 million in police misconduct lawsuits, according to a local news investigation. That's outpacing its average of $47 million a year over the last six years. New York City pays by far the most. In 2017, it doled out a record $302 million for police misconduct lawsuits, according to the city controller's office.

For small cities, however, the financial impact can be even bigger. Most small governments have liability insurance to help them cover the costs of lawsuits. But legal costs for police misconduct can still place huge strains on budgets and, in some cases, can lead to law enforcement agencies being disbanded.

Recently in Lakewood, Wash., a jury returned a $15 million verdict for the death of Leonard Thomas, who was unarmed when a police sniper shot him. While Lakewood's insurance is expected to cover a portion of that payout, the city still has to spend $6.5 million on punitive damages -- an amount equivalent to 18 percent of the city's annual spending.
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