NCJ Number
183571
Journal
Policing Volume: 23 Issue: 2 Dated: 2000 Pages: 169-193
Date Published
2000
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article examines emerging trends in police liability for failure to train.
Abstract
The U.S. Supreme Court in the City of Canton v. Harris (1989) held failing to train police officers may be the basis for managerial liability under Title 42 United States Code Section 1983. Using a content analysis, 1,525 Section 1983 lawsuits alleging failure to train were reviewed from 1989 to 1999. There were 10 frequent topic areas where the plaintiff regularly identified police administrators as defendants. The article reviews some of those areas and discusses emerging trends of such litigation. The article encourages police administrators to review the following recommendations in an effort to shore up potential agency deficiencies to insulate the agency, supervisors and officers from civil liability: (1) Conduct an internal assessment of recurring tasks that officers and supervisors perform on a routine basis, including those that reflect changes in the law, and provide annual to biannual training in those activities; (2) Revise policies and procedures that parallel training topics; (3) Institute supervisory training; and (4) Document all training and maintain accurate training records. Cases cited