More than 300 law professors urge Congress to address police impunity

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• More than 300 law professors have signed a letter asking leaders of Congress to end "qualified immunity."
• The doctrine of "qualified immunity" makes it nearly impossible to hold police or their departments financially responsible for official wrongdoing.
• "This is an unprecedented moment in the history of our country, and decisive action must be taken to restore faith in government and the police," the professors argue.
• Bills to end qualified immunity have been introduced in both the House and Senate, but no Republicans have signed on.
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What happens when someone paid to enforce the law breaks it instead? Too often, even when the wrongdoing is not in dispute, the answer is: not much at all.

That, in part, is due to something called "qualified immunity," a doctrine stemming from a 1982 US Supreme Court decision that, in effect, makes it next to impossible to hold a state official or the department they serve financially liable for violating the rights of the public they serve.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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