Can a police officer take actions that place a fleeing motorist at risk of serious injury or death in order to stop the motorist’s flight from endangering the lives of innocent bystanders without violating the motorist’s federal constitutional rights?
John R. Grasso, Esq.
Can a police officer take actions that place a fleeing motorist at risk of serious injury or death in order to stop the motorist’s flight from endangering the lives of innocent bystanders without violating the motorist’s federal constitutional rights? Put another way, may you, as a police officer, lawfully ram a fleeing motorist’s car from behind in order to stop it or would that action constitute an unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment because of your excessive use of force?
Please download the PDF below to read the full article.
High-Speed Pursuit as a Use of Force: A Law Enforcement Analysis of Scott v. Harris, 127 S.Ct. 1769
