Supreme Court Called To Stop Police From Using Excessive Force Against Individuals Who Have Surrendered Or Complied

Supreme Court Called to Stop Police From Using Excessive Force Against Individuals Who Have Surrendered or Complied

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the wake of a spate of incidents involving the use of…

The Washington Standard

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the wake of a spate of incidents involving the use of excessive force by police against unarmed individuals, including the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols by members of a Memphis SCORPION police unit, The Rutherford Institute has called on the U.S. Supreme Court to narrow the scope of qualified immunity granted to officers who assault suspects who have already surrendered or complied with police orders.

In a joint amicus brief with the Cato Institute in Salazar v. Molina, Institute attorneys take issue with a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that gives qualified immunity to a police officer who tased a non-violent suspect in the back after he lay down to surrender. The ruling essentially gives police a green light to punish and harm suspects solely based upon their initial resistance. The brief warns that this ruling undermines public safety by discouraging suspects from surrendering or complying with police commands.

“We are approaching a crisis over the public’s lack of trust in police, especially those who feel empowered to act as judge, jury and executioner,” said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People. “Police officers who have almost absolute discretion to decide who is a threat, what constitutes resistance, and how harshly they can deal with those they were appointed to protect are not making America any safer.”…