Police Brutality

According to Mapping Police Violence and Washington Post, there were around a thousand people that were killed by a police officer in the year 2020. But, these numbers are severely underreported since many people have not come forward for fear of retaliation by the police officer or police department.

Over the last five years, police shootings are the most incidences of brutality. Gunshots accounted for more than 9 and 10 fatalities.

Most victims of police brutality are young males. 95% were victims between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. Police shootings take place in almost every state, and are more likely to occur in congested cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

Excessive force by police and government officials has been a widespread concern throughout our country, especially in California. George Floyd and his experience with police brutality took the World by storm since video footage of the entire incident was shared through social media. Nowadays, social media has made it easier to share videos and photos, while also raising awareness of police brutality.

Our compassionate attorneys understand how stressful and traumatic it could be to experience such an experience as police brutality or police misconduct. Each type of police brutality experience is different from one others, and we provide our one-on-one attention to each circumstance to ensure that each client of ours gets the justice and support they need.

What are examples of police brutality?

Types of police brutality cases we have experience with:

• Use of unreasonably excessive force. This excessive force could lead to serious severe long-term injuries that the victim has to deal with their entire life. This also includes emotional distress from the trauma. Many studies have held that using guns should be the police officers’ last resort. It is often very common to result in a non-justified shooting. This could potentially lead to wrongful death claims from the victim’s family.
• Abuse of power. One of the most common examples is prison guard misconduct that is motivated by racial discrimination.
• Use of illegal surveillance devices
• Illegal searches and seizures
• Concealing evidence or falsifying evidence: this could possibly be done in order to convict an innocent party. For example, police officers may plant evidence to another to have them convicted of a crime.
• Acts that infringe on the First Amendment freedom of speech
• Misuse of pepper spray, tasers, or stun guns
• Medical care denial
• Use of attack dogs in unwarranted situations: police dogs could oftentimes be used through improper means and result in severe injuries.
• Sexual assault: this includes instances where police officers harass individuals. This is very difficult to go through for victims since they may require years of therapy to go through the trauma.

What kind of injuries are common in police brutality circumstances?
Each police brutality circumstance is different from one another, but there are some common injuries that have been noted as a result of police brutality. This includes:

• traumatic brain injuries
• spinal cord injuries
• back injuries
• internal bleeding
• hand injuries
• lacerations
• broken bones

What can I do if I become a victim of police brutality?

If you have been a victim of brutality, you have the right to file a lawsuit against the responsible parties. Keep in mind that there are several different parties that you could hold responsible. that is why it takes a highly qualified and experienced police brutality attorney to investigate the circumstances of the incident and determine exactly which party could be held responsible.
Parties, such as the employee supervisors and the police department could be held responsible for a police officer’s brutal actions.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of police brutality, below are the steps that should be taken:

• Seek immediate medical attention. The sooner you get medical attention, the better it is for your potential lawsuit since injuries that stem from police brutality incidents are severe and could have lifelong effects, such as traumatic brain injuries.
• Document the injuries suffered with photos and video if possible. The more proof you have of your injuries, the stronger the case.
• Write down the witness names and phone numbers of anyone who may have seen the act. Witnesses are often times hesitant to come forward, but we have seen several witnesses come forward in police brutality circumstances.
• Find an experienced legal team to handle your case. An experienced police brutality attorney will better represent you when it comes to fighting for your civil rights.

What if I have lost my loved one because of police brutality?

If your loved one has passed away because of police brutality, you have the right to bring a wrongful death action on your family member’s behalf It is important to hire a personal injury attorney that is experienced in wrongful death claims.

We know how difficult it could be to go through such an experience and to lose a loved one. That is why our aggressive wrongful death attorneys will work tirelessly to make sure that we hold the parties responsible for your loved one’s death.

Bane Act

The Bane Act is also known as the California Bane civil rights act. It is a state law enacted in California in 1967 to protect individuals and their constitutional rights when it comes to public officials and police officers. This act is specific to California law, and other states are trying to enact similar laws.
Bane stands for “Bringing Antiquities Negligently and Egocentrically,” which is meant to stop the interference of someone’s civil rights. It allows those who have had their civil rights taken advantage of to file a lawsuit and hold the responsible party liable for damages. The Act covers several different types of civil rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press.
But, in order to file a lawsuit under the Bane Act, the burden of proof is to show:

• Someone’s rights were taken advantage of and violated
• The exact reason how the person’s rights were violated
• How the violation caused injury to the person

What do our police brutality attorneys do?

• Our attorneys will investigate the circumstances of the police brutality claim. The more evidence we have, the stronger of the case we can build for you. What sets our attorneys apart from other attorneys is that we have all the resources and skills to contact and piece together the police brutality circumstance.
• We have decades of experience handling cases where victims have experienced police misconduct and police force. We work tirelessly to make sure that we get Justice on behalf of our clients.
• Our attorneys piece together a legal strategy to see how we can best move forward with your police brutality lawsuit. having a clear-cut legal strategy is essential when it comes to police brutality claims.
• We represent our clients in all legal and administrative proceedings involved with filing a police brutality suit.
• We provide support, and are always there to provide assistance to our clients in the event that they have questions on their police brutality suit.

California Police Brutality Attorneys

Get in touch with a Los Angeles police brutality lawyer at Heidari Law Group today. Give us a call at (213) 884-4881 or send us an email at info@HeidariLawGroup.com. If you are looking for a police misconduct attorney, we can also help consult with you on your case.