10-23-2020, 04:43 PM
(10-23-2020, 03:52 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Are officers who act negligently covered by qualified immunity?
Yes. However, in a perfect world they would then be censured or fired and thus no longer to continue to function as LEO's. Unfortunately we must protect some bad people, hopefully temporarily, to ensure that the job can function at all. Also, it is very possible for an excellent officer to make a terrible error in judgment. Additionally, and again this is where the analogy with the medical professions doesn't really apply, LEO's often have to make split second decisions based on limited information. Not allowing for the potential for well intentioned error in these situations would, again, completely stagnate and paralyze the job performance of every LEO. Where I can understand the frustration with qualified immunity is when the same bad actor is covered by it multiple times and that is certainly an area in need of significant improvement.