Any encounter with police officers may make people feel nervous. Almost everyone has heard a story about officers becoming too aggressive or targeting the wrong person. Sometimes, overly-generic descriptions of suspects and the personal biases of individual officers...
People who see a crime in whole or in part play an invaluable role in helping to solve them. In some cases, detectives will personally canvas neighborhoods in search of people who may have seen a crime unfold. Indeed, eyewitness testimony can help catch criminals and...
The Hertz car rental company finds itself dealing with public relations and legal troubles as news breaks about lawsuits related to false arrests. Not surprisingly, if someone rents a car in New York and fails to return it, the rental service might file a police...
Accepting bribes, perjury, planting evidence, the criminal sale of a controlled substance, gun sales and other serious crimes were committed by eight former New York police officers on the wrong side of the law. Many of their crimes were committed against innocent New...
Being arrested for a crime you didn’t commit is one of the biggest nightmares for any New Yorker. It’s even worse if you end up wrongfully convicted and receive a prison sentence. There are many psychological effects of false imprisonment that could plague you. Mental...
False confessions are a huge problem in the criminal justice system. They often lead to wrongful convictions, and sometimes, innocent people end up taking the fall for a crime they didn't commit. In recent years, law enforcement officials are starting to take this...
The New York municipality of Nassau County has been in the news for an incident of wrongful imprisonment leading to a case that illuminates some of the nuances of qualified immunity. It is possible that the municipality will be deemed liable for wrongful acts...
The rising trend of using facial recognition software for law enforcement in New York is controversial. While law enforcement advocates view it as a new type of surveillance tool that can expedite arrests and convictions, some recent incidents show that it is also...
Thousands of people in New York and around the country are released from police custody each day because officers learned that they did not commit the crimes they were linked to, but that does not mean they were falsely arrested. Police officers who arrest individuals...
Law enforcement officers and civilians in New York can arrest an individual if there is probable cause. Making sure there is probable cause is essential. Otherwise, a false arrest will be made, and the individual held in custody could sue. What is unlawful arrest?...