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What Is the Number One Duty of a Police Officer?
Loaded on Jan. 19, 2018
by Christopher Zoukis
published in Criminal Legal News
February, 2018, page 36
Filed under:
Police Misconduct,
Police--Excessive Force,
Excessive Force (Police).
Location:
United States of America.
by Christopher Zoukis
There is an oft-quoted and deeply ingrained sentiment in police circles, one whose logic seems unassailable at first glance: The number one duty of a police officer is to go home to his or her family at the end of the shift.
This feels …
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More from this issue:
- Secret ATF Slush Fund Dispensed Millions, by Christopher Zoukis
- Ohio Supreme Court: Dismissal Without Prejudice Is a Final and Appealable Order, by Dale Chappell
- The Fair Punishment Project Details an “Epidemic of Brady Violations”, by Christopher Zoukis
- Misdemeanor Defendants Facing Jail Time Not Told They Have a Right to Counsel, Bar Association Finds, by Topher Sanders
- Cryptocurrency Leveraged to Help People Make Bail, by Derek Gilna
- What Is the Number One Duty of a Police Officer?, by Christopher Zoukis
- Deaths From Police Shootings Outstrip Deaths From Terrorists Attacks, Wars, by Derek Gilna
- Massachusetts Breathalyzer Malfunctions, Evidence Withheld
- Fifth Circuit Vacates Sex Offender Supervised Release Conditions, by Mark Wilson
- Eighth Circuit Reverses Convictions Due to Constructive Amendment of Charges, by Mark Wilson
- Louisiana Prosecutors’ Traffic Ticket Industry Diverting Funds From Public Defenders, by David Reutter
- “My Phone Was My Life”—Challenging Warrantless Border Searches of Devices, by Dale Chappell
- Fourth Circuit Vacates Brady Claim Denial in Capital Case and Rebukes Prosecutors, by Richard Resch
- 10th Circuit Suppresses Evidence Based on Overbroad Protective Sweep Under Buie, by Richard Resch
- Georgia Hearsay Admissible Under Co-Conspirator Exception, by Mark Wilson
- Kentucky Supreme Court Clarifies Adoptive Admission Exception to Hearsay Rule, by Christopher Zoukis
- Colorado Supreme Court: Criminal Defendant Seeking to Fire Paid, Retained Counsel for Court-Appointed Counsel Need Not Show Good Cause, by Christopher Zoukis
- North Dakota Supreme Court: Warrantless Urine Test Incident to Arrest for DUI Is Unconstitutional Search, by David Reutter
- Compensating the Exonerated: State Laws Are Arbitrary and Senseless, by Christopher Zoukis
- Oregon Court Vacates Order Refusing to Seal Arrest Record, by Mark Wilson
- Vermont Guilty Plea Requires Defendant to Personally Acknowledge Factual Basis for Each Element of the Offenses Charged, by Mark Wilson
- More Than Half of 2015 Police Killings Not Properly Documented in Government Data, by Christopher Zoukis
- Massachusetts High Court Vacates OUI Conviction for Improper Jury Instruction in Which Judge Told Jury to Disregard the Absence of Any Sobriety Tests, by Christopher Zoukis
- 50 Alabama Cities Reform Bail Practices for Poor, by David Reutter
- Eighth Circuit Upholds Warrantless Search of Cellphone Owned by Person on Supervised Release Due to Diminished Expectation of Privacy, by Mark Wilson
- Government Attempt to Shoehorn Union Activity into Hobbs Act Violation Rejected by First Circuit, by Christopher Zoukis
- 11th Circuit Rules Counsel Deficient for Failing to Challenge “Usable” Amount in Drug Case, by David Reutter
- Washington Supreme Court Grants Full Evidentiary Hearing for Civilly Committed SVP, by Mark Wilson
- In Historic Move, 15 Cases Related to Crooked Chicago Cop Thrown Out, by Christopher Zoukis
- Oregon Supreme Court Rules Warrantless Entry Into Home in Effort to Obtain Nonconsensual BAC Evidence Not Exigent Circumstance, by Mark Wilson
- Ohio Supreme Court Holds Exclusion of Evidence Inappropriate Remedy for Violation of Knock-And-Announce Principle Where Search Warrant Issued, by Mark Wilson
- Georgia Supreme Court Reverses Armed Robbery Conviction, Defendant Lacked Dominion, by Dale Chappell
- Oregon Court of Appeals Rules Defendant’s Motion to Suppress Satisfied Uniform Trial Court Rule 4.060(1)
- The Insanity Defense: It’s Not What You Think, by Christopher Zoukis
- Second Circuit: Arrest for Not Leaving Sidewalk Entitled to Qualified Immunity, by Mark Wilson
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- $44.7 Million Awarded to Man Shot by Intoxicated Chicago Police Officer With Troubled History, by Derek Gilna
- District Attorney in New York and Aide Indicted for Covering up Beating by Police Chief, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Richard Resch
- Eighth Circuit: Illinois Burglary Conviction Not Valid Predicate Offense for ACCA Purposes
- News in Brief
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More from Christopher Zoukis:
- The Contraband Wars Prison authorities target books and mail, miss the goods coming through the staff door, July 1, 2021
- Trump v. Biden on Criminal Justice, Oct. 1, 2020
- Coronavirus in Prison: The Cruel Reality, Aug. 1, 2020
- With Lives of Immigrant Detainees at Risk to COVID-19, Federal Judge Forces ICE’s Hand, July 1, 2020
- A Nation on the Brink, June 15, 2020
- Federal Court Slams Michigan Jail for Bungling COVID-19 Pandemic, Demands Names of Vulnerable Prisoners for Release, June 1, 2020
- Silence: The Bureau of Prisons’ Pathetic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 1, 2020
- New York Judge Orders Release of 18 Rikers Island Detainees Due to COVID-19 Risk, June 1, 2020
- Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, May 1, 2020
- California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, May 1, 2020
More from these topics:
- Fatal LAPD Arrests Show Systemic Failure in Handling Mental Health Crises, Oct. 1, 2026. Shootings, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Mental Health, Staff Training.
- $13 Million Awarded to Exonerated Illinois Prisoner Tortured to Confess by Corrupt Cops, Aug. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Certificate of Innocence, False Imprisonment, Confessions - Coerced.
- San Diego Guard Who Fatally Shot Fleeing Detainee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison, July 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Shootings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Police), Wrongful Use of Force.
- Safety of “The Wrap” Restraint Device Questioned Amid Fatalities and Criticism From Medical Experts, July 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Federal Legislation.
- Jury Awards Over $24.4 Million to Kentucky Prisoner Exonerated After 22 Years, Bringing Total Payout for Him and Co-Defendant to Almost $45 Million, June 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Monell Liability, Fabrication of Evidence, Failure to Disclose.
- Judge Denies New York Prison Chief’s Motion to be Dismissed from Case Related to Robert Brooks’ Murder, May 1, 2026. Work Strikes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Train/Supervise, Police--Excessive Force, Deliberate Indifference.
- The Recycled Police Officer: Research Reveals High Cost of Ignoring Prior Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Harassment by Police, Police Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Excessive Force (Police), Police/Govt Misconduct.
- “I Have Nothing to Hide”: Why Innocent People Should Never Talk to Police, March 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Interviews/Debriefing.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- Illinois Supreme Court Announces Six-Element Jeffries Test Governs Self-Defense Jury Instructions in Cases Involving Force Against Police Officers, Rejecting Appellate Court Approaches That Either Created Separate Threshold Inquiry or Automatically Requir, Feb. 1, 2026. Excessive Force (Police), Abuse of Discretion Standard, Jury Instructions in Jury Room, Plain/Harmless Error, Factual Disputes/Findings.





