What are Liability Programs?

Elliot Spector, the namesake of SCJTN,  is a national expert on the subject of police civil liability.  His positions at the Hartford Police Department included patrol officer, civil litigation officer, and acting general counsel. He also served on the accident and firearms review boards. These legally related positions concerning police liability and misconduct as well as his Juris Doctorate at University of Connecticut School of Law make him an impecable candidate to train on liability. To learn more about Spector's Extensive background, click here. 

Read below to see all the liability courses that Spector Training has to offer.

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GENERAL CIVIL LIABILITY:

Includes case law effecting liability risk and more specifically, areas such as Indemnification (personal liability risk), Investigative Detention, False Arrest, Search & Seizure, Failure to Protect, Use of Force, Pursuit, Supervisory Liability, First Amendment Liability Issues, Failure to Train and Hostile Work Environment Claims. These general civil liability blocks of instruction can vary in time depending on the needs of your department.

EXECUTIVE LIABILITY:

A one or two day seminar that provides executive level supervisors with an understanding of supervisory liability risks and how to avoid such risks. The seminar will include case law regarding Supervisory & Municipal Liability, special issues concerning Hiring and Retaining Employees, Individual Versus Official Capacity, Training & Policy Issues, Technology Issues, Present and Future Critical Liability Issues in Law Enforcement, Excessive Use of Force – Concentrating on Deadly Use of Force, Equipment/Weapons and Officer Safety Issues, Search & Seizure – Inadequate Search Warrants, Improper Execution Searches & Forced Entries, False Arrest with a Concentration on Inadequate Probable Cause, Misidentification, and Warrant Arrests, Failure to Protect – Federal & State Liability Standards, Pursuit – Civil Rights Standards and state tort liability.

TRAINING OFFICER LIABILITY :

A one-day seminar that will inform training officers of the training liability standards created by the U.S. Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Bryan County.  The seminar will provide information to training officers to assist them in understanding liability risks for failure to provide adequate training.  Specific instruction will help trainers develop courses, plan curriculum and generally administer courses.  
What Is Covered:

• Legal standards applicable to liability for failure to train under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 - civil rights liability; state tort liability and personal training officer vs. governmental liability.  
• Methods of training to avoid liability including: training techniques, expert keys to ensure quality programs, and equipment, films, handout materials and other resources.  
• Training topics in which liability is most prevalent will be discussed, and suggestions as to how to avoid such liability for: ¨Use of Excessive Force, False Arrest, Improper Handling of Mentally Ill, Search & Seizure, Failure to Protect, Liability Issues Re: Statutory Required Tng. (Inc. P.A. 15-4), Pursuit of and Emergency Operation of Vehicle. 

USE OF FORCE LIABILITY:

A one day seminar that provides information to officers to assist them in understanding the levels of scrutiny applied to use of force situations; specific instruction will reduce the level of unreasonable force and reduce the exposure of criminal and civil liability, while ensuring that officers understand when and how much force can be used to protect themselves and others and effectively enforce the law.  Participants will receive (6.5) credits under Area 203 and (1) credit under Area 209.  What will be covered:  Constitutional and Statutory Standards:  U.S. Supreme Court, 2nd Circuit, Court of Appeals cases & Connecticut General Statutes.  Non-lethal Use of Force, Deadly Use of Force,, Equipment/Weapons Issues, Training Issues, Supervisory/Disciplinary and policy Issues, Handling Aggressive Behavior. Focus will be on defending against attacks on police and changing the image re: brutality and racism.

CAREER SURVIVAL FOR POLICE OFFICERS:

This course combines ethics, legal standards, recommended appropriate conduct and most importantly instructive messages on how to reduce the risk of misconduct.  A number of years ago a Connecticut Chief lost a Sgt. and a patrol officer due to allegations of theft. He requested the development of a course to deal with such misconduct because of the high cost of replacing these officers. We expanded the program to include all of the areas which most commonly lead to the destruction of officer careers.

The purpose of the course is:

• To reduce deaths and serious injuries to officers and others;
• To avoid arrests of officers and lawsuits;
• To avoid the destruction and/or the loss of families; and,
• To avoid harm to individual reputations and the police image.

The following topic areas are covered:

• Emergency Operation of Vehicles:  Information in this topic area is intended to eliminate the risk of unsafe driving by officers in emergency situations which unnecessarily cause serious injury or death to themselves or others.
• Sexual Misconduct: This topic covers the common situations in which officers become involved in sexual misconduct both on and off duty resulting in federal and state criminal and civil liability as well as terminations and harm to officer families.
• Untruthfulness: Honesty is essential in law enforcement.   The cases (including seven US Supreme Court cases) and information provided, instructs officers when they will be terminated for untruthfulness. It also emphasizes the importance of honesty and responding, either as the subject of or witness, to police misconduct.
• Theft: This section covers the various opportunities that lead to the taking of property, the consequences of such thefts and the economic wisdom of avoiding the wrongful taking of property.
• Drinking and Substance Abuse: This topic covers the risks associated with off-duty intoxication and concentrates on the responsibility to protect others who may be harmed by intoxicated persons. It includes recent case law applying state and federal theories of liability in such situations.
• Emotional Problems/Suicides:  Recognizing symptoms of emotional and mental fitness and how to respond to such symptoms is intended to help officers assist others to avoid police suicides.

All of the above topics are presented through examples of mostly Connecticut cases applying both federal and state law as well as appropriate police standards and practices. The general theme throughout the course advocates PEER RESPONSIBILITY. Simply put, officers are repeatedly reminded that it is not just the administration and supervisor’s responsibility to control misconduct but reducing misconduct is the responsibility of all officers in the department. Practical ideas are presented to persuade officers to avoid temptations and to use good judgment. Each topic area includes suggestions on how to help other officers who may have or may be about to engage in any of the above types of misconduct.

Attorney Spector's presentations can range in time from 2 hours to 2 days and can also be modified for various agencies including the training of civilian review boards.  For more information on hosting programs and earning free seats please call Tammy LaBonte at 860.593.6550.

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