Our men and women of the police force are no less fallible than anyone else in our neighborhoods. It isn’t an uncommon situation for a police to catch the wrong individual and bring them to jail, releasing them after the mistake is caught. It may or may not cause you stress to be detained by a human officer, but you might feel differently if a police dog has your leg in their jaw. This can cause more than embarrassment, it can cause physical damage.
If this has happened to you, you probably want to know what your options are. Even if this hasn’t happened to you, it’s always good to have a game plan in the event that it does. We’ll look at whether you can file a lawsuit against the police in this case or if you will instead be forced to simply move on from it. Additional information is available via a Gurnee dog bite lawyer.
Protection from Police Dog Injury
Put simply, you can absolutely hold the police liable for this bite. The Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that the police are not allowed to use unreasonable force (such as having a dog bite someone) when arresting a suspect. In fact, there are many possible consequences for doing so. They may be ordered to compensate you for any pain and suffering. They may be asked to pay any punitive damages. The federal law itself can provide benefits for you, like compensation for the cost of an attorney or an extension to the statute of limitations.
Important Factors in a Dog Bite Case
It’s probably relieving to find that you are able to file a claim against the dog bits, but it’s not as simple as suing a citizen who owns a dog. Police have authority to have dogs to help them in missions, so proving you case can be difficult. There are some factors that can help you out there, though:
- Being unarmed when bit
- A crime that was only a misdemeanor
- You were hiding, not running away
- You were bit multiple times
- The police had no control over the dog
- You surrendered immediately but were still bit
Gurnee Dog Bite Lawyer
The Law Offices of Robert T. Eden, P.C. would be happy to help you file a case against the police if you have been bit by a police dog.
