Police Abuse: Sovereign Immunity Protects the Abusers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 10, 2007 -- Police Abuse: Sovereign Immunity Protects the Abusers
By
Theresa Chaze

Police abuse is a national problem with officers over stepping their bounds and deliberately doing harm to the people that they have sworn to protect. The country doesn't need more police officers. It needs to set a higher standard for the officers to meet. They need to have a clear understanding of the law and their role in society, so they can protect without infringing on Civil Rights. However, it is not only ignorance of the public�s rights that causes abusive situations, but the officers attempting to secure their jobs by inflating the crime statistics and personal satisfaction of having power over others that are the root causes of the abuse. With statewide budget cuts, every government job is at risk. However by inflating the crime statistics with unjustified arrests and unreasonable traffic stops, they insure the law enforcement system will be immune to pay cuts and lay offs. In addition, individual officers have learned that they won�t be held responsible for their actions. Most officers are ethical and honorable. But there are those who intentionally inflict harm on those in our society they see as vulnerable. They also target those who have lifestyles or points of view that differ from their own.

The cases of abuse, misconduct and bigotry are increasing expediently, because no one in the government willing to address the root cause. One only has to Google--police abuse or police abuse of power to learn how severe the problem has become. Officers get away with it because they can. Victims can sue the law enforcement agencies but the individual officers are never held accountable for the harm they cause. Sovereign Immunity is the legal doctrine that states the sovereign or government and its agents cannot be legally prosecuted for harm they cause. By definition, Sovereign means monarch, the ruler or permanent head of a state, especially a king or queen. Law enforcement officials are neither; they are public servants, not public masters. However, instead of serving and protecting society, they are rapidly become a bigger threat to the public than the criminal element. At least with the criminal element, you can defend yourself without additional criminal charges being added. To merely touch an officer is to be guilty of a crime, yet they are capable of searching your person and property if they have the faintest suspicion you have possibly broken a law. They no longer need proof a crime, just the mere illusion is enough to support a search. They feel entitled to harass and intimidate those they find objectionable because of lifestyle, political affiliation, religion or skin color.
In addition, the abusive actions of law enforcement does not make the public safer. When an officer is actively involved in harassing an individual or group, they are not available to do the job they were hired to do. It adds to the response time, which co