BULLET PROOF DEFENSE

A TRAINING COURSE ON POLICE RISK MANAGEMENT

By Christopher P. Gerber, Esquire of

SIANA, BELLWOAR & MCANDREW, LLP

In an age when police officers are the target of those they arrest, the media, misinformed public officials, and even their own colleagues, the need for effective risk management training is essential for the successful operation of a 21st century municipal police department.

Target Audience: This course is specifically designed for municipal police chiefs and other command staff.

Course Objectives: To offer insight into best practices designed to reduce exposure to costly and disruptive litigation and to stimulate thought and discussion through the presentation of intensive case scenarios addressing the following topics:

  • The fundamentals of civil rights lawsuitsfiled against municipalities and their chiefs of police, command staff and non-supervisory officers involving claims arising under:
  • The First Amendment: what is “free speech” and when does speech cross the line into criminal conduct?
  • The Fourth & Fourteenth Amendments: how to defend claims for False Arrest, Malicious Prosecution and Excessive Use of Force;
  • Qualified Immunity: discussion of this protective shield against civil rights claims for the competent and reasonable police officer
  • How to conduct and document effective Internal Affairs Investigations and how to utilize them in the defense of civil rights lawsuits filed by arrestees
  • How to effectivelycommunicate with public officials and managers when claims of misconduct are made by externally by the public or internally by co-workers
  • The roles of elected officials, managers, mayors and police command staff and the proper boundaries of their governmental power; where to draw the line between the investigation and the adjudication of alleged police misconduct
  • How to investigate claims of misconduct without violating the federal and state rights of the target officer
  • The fundamentals of the IA report
  • The Brady Rule: when must you report misconduct to the DA?

Course Presenter

Christopher P. Gerber, Esquire

Mr. Gerber is a civil rights litigator and partner with the law firm of Siana, Bellwoar and McAndrew, LLP located in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. Mr. Gerber advises public employers and their police departments involved in civil rights litigation as well as labor and employment matters before all levels of the federal and state court system. He is admitted to practice law in the state courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania. Mr. Gerber received his J.D. from Widener University School of Law and his B.A. from Penn State University.

Mr. Gerber has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine as well as a “Top Labor Lawyer” by Mainline Today magazine. He represents numerous municipal police departments and conducts training sessions before a variety of audiences, including the Chiefs of Police Associations, insurance carriers, municipal solicitors, and statewide legal education programs.