Federal Prosecutors Missing Their Victim and Complaining Witness in Fresno Police Brutality Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 9, 2013 Federal Prosecutors Missing Their Victim and Complaining Witness in Fresno Police Brutality Case Fresno, CA January 9, 2013– U.S v. Christopher Coleman, Paul Van Dalen, Sean Plymale and Mike Manfredi The trial of began Tuesday before Judge Anthony W. Ishii in the U.S. District ...Read More

Jury Selection Complete Despite Batson Challenge in Fresno Excessive Use of Force Trial.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 10, 2013 Jury Selection Complete Despite Batson Challenge in Fresno Excessive Use of Force Trial. Fresno, CA January 10, 2013– U.S v. Christopher Coleman, Paul Van Dalen, Sean Plymale and Mike Manfredi Judge Anthony Ishii finally swore in a jury of 12 plus four alternates at ...Read More

BLOG POST: Is ‘Stand Your Ground’ Really a License to Kill?

IS ‘STAND YOUR GROUND’ REALLY A LICENSE TO KILL  When lawmakers in Florida enacted its “Stand Your Ground” law they intended it to be a tool to make it easier for citizens, particularly homeowners to defend themselves when threatened with serious injury or death.  The purpose of the law was ...Read More

New POBR Case Protects Whistle Blowers in Law Enforcement

A new case came down today from the 4th Appellate District, Jaramillo v. County of Orange, which establishes that POBR waivers are not enforceable for any Law Enforcement officer, even executive staff.  This case, factually, exposes extreme corruption in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.  The Appellate Court made every attempt ...Read More

Is The Penalty Really Appropriate?

 People make mistakes.  In most cases, responsible adults are often willing to admit they’ve made a mistake and are capable of learning from it and moving forward.  While this may seem to be a simple notion of modern society, what happens when the person who made a mistake wears a ...Read More

Assault by Broccoli No Defense for Officer Accused of Excessive Force.

After being stopped for not wearing his seatbelt, driver Mark Anthony Young exited his vehicle and sat on the curb eating his broccoli and tomatoes.  Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Wells ordered Young to, “just have a seat in the truck.” Young declined stating, “I don’t feel like sitting ...Read More

Defense Against Misappropriation Allegation

Allegations of misappropriation usually arise from a police officer or other public employee taking items that belong to the public entity or other persons and keeping these items for themselves.  The misconception is that just because these items are not being used, or have been sitting stagnant for long periods ...Read More

G&A lawyers Defend Failure of Good Behavior Causing Discredit to the Department

Failure of Good Behavior Causing Discredit to the Department One of the more common allegations imposed against Peace Officers, Correctional Officers and other public employees is “Failure of Good Behavior Causing Discredit to the Department.”  This allegation may be the result of  a simple interaction between a public employee and ...Read More

The Key to Successful Defense Against Incompetence

Successful Defense Against Incompetence A possible misconception many officer may have is that once they their basic training they will be found to be competent in all aspects of their job.   In actuality and as in many other professions, training really begins when an officer begins working and gaining real ...Read More

How to Avoid a Sick Leave Abuse Allegation

Sick Leave Abuse               The recent economic recession is leading to a familiar scenario: Budget cuts cause an agency to reduce its staffing levels and no new hiring occurs.  The agency resorts to minimum staffing and mandatory overtime for its public safety officers.  As a result the officer is ...Read More