Pride in representing professional
standards of policing

My professional commitment is two-fold: 1) to use my experience, research and education to protect and defend the rights of citizens who have been mistreated by police, and; 2) to protect professional police officers who themselves are unjustly accused of wrongdoing.

Additionally, I offer my skills to assist law enforcement agencies in the development of policy and procedure that is both practical and in keeping with national standards of care. To that end, well-trained and professional law enforcement officers are better suited to serve the needs of the public while at the same time are more able to protect themselves from the dangers of the streets and the threat of civil litigation.

Every day, police officers perform their duties in some of the most dangerous and demanding circumstances imaginable. They are often required to make difficult, split-second decisions in emergency circumstances that courts will take months and sometimes years to scrutinize. Of course, while in the midst of a dangerous situation, a police officer may sometimes make a mistake while performing his or her duties. Fortunately, most of the time those indiscretions will not rise to the level of civil recourse. However, for those officers who find themselves facing a civil suit, I will proudly defend their actions provided those actions were objectively reasonable and consistent with accepted standards of police professionalism.

On the other hand, I believe unscrupulous police officers must be held accountable for behaviors that violate the civil rights of citizens – the very citizens they are sworn to protect. We must remember that while police officers must face dangers and challenges on a daily basis, equally as horrific are indiscriminate violations of civil rights that are occasionally imposed upon law-abiding citizens by cops who are reckless, not properly supervised or otherwise out-of-control.

Police officers and their administrators must be held accountable for their decisions and the actions that stem from those decisions must be under constant evaluation for accountability. While we must acknowledge that from time to time some members of society will unfairly use civil law to target police officers, we must also remember that it is the role of the criminal justice system to stand as the protector of the weak from the excesses of the powerful.

I realize the choosing an expert for your case is a difficult and important decision. My 40+ years of experience has given me a thorough understanding of police procedure and I will apply this knowledge as I help you formulate your litigation strategy. I take my role as an expert/consultant seriously and as such have adopted four guiding professional principles:

  • to provide you objective and critical evaluation of your case
  • to carefully investigate and research every aspect of your case possible
  • to respect your deadlines and provide services to you on a timely basis
  • to consistently maintain the highest standards of professionalism

Thank you for considering me for your litigation team.