Chicago Police Brutality Lawyer
What is Police Brutality?
Police brutality is one of several forms of police misconduct which involves undue violence by police officers. Widespread police brutality exists in many states, including Illinois. Police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. “Excessive use of force” means a force well beyond what would be necessary in order to handle a situation.
Examples of Police Brutality
- Beatings leading to broken bones or serious injury
- Police misconduct including unreasonable weapon use leading to serious injury
- Improper shootings
- Unnecessary and degrading strip searches
- Sexual assault
Michael J. Brennan is a personal injury lawyer handling police brutality cases in Orland Park and Chicago. He will use your initial consultation to learn your version of events and will quickly obtain evidence such as police reports, witness statements, etc. He will file Motions with the Court to exclude statements taken in violation of your Fifth Amendment rights so that they may not be used against you at trial. Michael will interview relevant witnesses to establish that the claim is either false or that you were acting in self-defense. You will be aggressively represented at trial and our attorney will be in regular contact with you throughout the process. Contact our office today to schedule an initial consultation
Police Brutality
US civil laws exist to protect individual citizens from abuse, including brutality enforced by police officers. Police officers have restrictions on their powers that limit how far they can go in carrying out their duties. Legally, an officer has the right to use a certain amount of force to restrain an individual. However, if that force exceeds boundaries, and leads to bodily harm, it could translate to a violation of civil rights, and must be reported immediately.
Police Misconduct
Cases of police using force that is disproportionate to the situational need are far too common, and in many cases, lead to serious injury, disability or, even death. When excessive force has been used on an individual, resulting in bodily harm, he may have a right to a civil rights claim. Remember, in these cases, it does not matter if the police officer had reasonable grounds to use the amount of force that was used. Unreasonable force can be the basis for a civil rights claim, even if the officer did not intend to cause serious, long-term harm to the individual.