Donald Trump recently announced his intentions to indemnify or financially protect the police, but experts say that such a measure is already in effect in a majority of departments across the country.
Trump’s announcement came in the wake of a number of high-profile police brutality cases involving use of excessive force, leading to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others. Though some claim such measures are necessary to protect those who protect us, others argue such a policy would only further embolden and embolden officers, making it less likely that they will be held accountable for their actions.
Regardless, experts argue that Trump’s announcement is largely unnecessary. According to research by the Washington Post, 94 percent of the 105 largest police departments they examined already have some form of indemnification for their officers, and 68 percent had unlimited protection against civil litigation due to qualified immunity. Qualified immunity is a doctrine established by the Supreme Court that essentially shields government officials, including police officers, from civil lawsuits unless they violated clearly established statutory or constitutional rights. Given this, police officers may already be spend their day-to-day job with the assurance that they are protected financially from any legal consequences their actions may incur.
However, not all of those with a vested interest feel the same way. Leaders of police unions have expressed cautious optimism, though they also urged policy makers to ensure that establishments are putting in place better safeguards for officers as to not to discard due process.
Regardless of experts and unions’ opinions, Trump’s announcement has sparked a new conversation as to how the police should be protected, hopefully leading to real changes that will help make our communities safer and fairer for everyone.
