Police Operations

Checklist For A Comprehensive Infectious Disease Response Plan Prepared by Chief Michael Whalen (Ret.) In the last several months we have seen a variety of “Ebola” events – each one with its own set of circumstances and a variety of responses. We have watched as response protocols have been published, later amended, and then changed again. The recent “win” by Nurse Kaci Hickox in […]

As I travel the country and work with different police departments, I am concerned with the inconsistency and the lack of knowledge of police management regarding use of Garrity in administrative investigations. I have learned that while investigators and management are aware of the practice of using Garrity warnings, as created by the case Garrity v. New Jersey, these warnings are misinterpreted and applied

Steve Papenfuhs and Eric P. Daigle The Public Duty Doctrine provides that, “absent a special relationship between the governmental entity and the injured individual, the governmental entity will not be liable for injury to an individual… the governmental entity owes a duty to the public in general. The doctrine has been commonly described by the oxymoron, ‘duty to all, duty to none.’”[1] The concept

Police officers, like many citizens, are often camera-shy.[1] We all know that “Officers dislike being recorded in embarrassing situations and may be concerned that dissemination of their images may put them at risk of retaliation.”[2] Public perception is that officers are also accustomed “to substantial deference in the construction of official reports, and many would prefer to be in a position to draft their