To the Editor: The City Council just passed legislation that repealed qualified immunity for police officers. Qualified immunity for police officers means that those performing discretionary functions are immune from civil lawsuits unless it is proven that the officer violated statutory or constitutional rights that a reasonable police officer would have known about.
The repeal of qualified immunity, if signed into law by Mayor de Blasio, will put cops at risk of being personally liable for monetary damages if an officer is named in a lawsuit. Many lawsuits against police officers are frivolous and will eventually fail or be dismissed, but the fear of being sued and held personally liable for damages will drastically reduce proactive policing.
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