Police misconduct is when an officer on duty commits an illegal act or violates an individual’s constitutional rights.

Types of police misconduct include (but are not limited to):

• False Arrest — an arrest made without probable cause or a warrant

• Falsification of Evidence — presentation of fabricated, forged, or tainted evidence in a legal proceeding

• Police Brutality — an extreme form of police violence that includes unjustified force, intentional harassment, verbal assault, mental injury, property damage, or death

• Police Perjury — when a police officer gives false testimony to “make the case” against a defendant whom the officer believes is guilty

• Racial Profiling — when police suspect or target a person of a certain race based on stereotypes and prejudices of a racial or ethnic group

• Unwarranted Surveillance — the use of technology and other surveillance methods to monitor the activity of an individual or a group, without the legal authority to do so

• Unwarranted Search and Seizure — when an officer conducts a search and seizure without a warrant or probable cause (the Fourth Amendment limits the power of police to search people and their property or seize objects and contraband, without following proper procedures)

• Sexual Misconduct — when an officer sexually harasses, assaults, or exploits a citizen, including victims, offenders in custody, or juveniles