In most circumstances, police officers do not owe a personal duty to protect specific individuals from harm. The dominant principle comes from the U.S. Supreme Court decision in DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services (1989)
Also see: Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales (2005) Warren v. District of Columbia (1981) Linda R.S. v. Richard D. (1973)
As you can see from reading through the cases mentioned above, the law doesn’t require police to protect you or even to enforce the law. Combine this with precedent set by police unions and qualified immunity.
greenhorn@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Warren v. District of Columbia “is a District of Columbia Court of Appeals case that held that the police do not owe a specific duty to provide police services to specific citizens based on the public duty doctrine.” And Castle Rock v. Gonzales, is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled, 7–2, that a town and its police department could not be sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for refusing to enforce a restraining order, even though the refusal led to the murders of a woman’s three children by her estranged husband.
pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Batshit crazy and ruled 7-2 too not even a slim majority