Protesters Oppose Law Curbing Police Suits

Opponents of a proposed federal law that would limit police brutality lawsuits demonstrated Monday on the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., saying the law would curtail civil rights.

About 40 members of a Burbank-based group called People Against Racist Terror staged a peaceful protest outside the local offices of Rep. Carlos Moorhead, R-Glendale, calling for the congressman to withdraw the Law Enforcement Officers Civil Liability Act of 1995.

The demonstrators argued that the bill, introduced by Moorhead last April, would set such a high standard of proof against officers accused of brutality that it would be impossible for jurors to impose punitive damages. But a Moorhead staffer defended the proposal, saying it is designed to ensure police officers are “not afraid to do their jobs.”

“It would basically deny people the right to sue abusive police officers under federal civil-rights laws,” said Michael Novick, founder of the group, which he said monitors neo-Nazi and organized racist activities in the area.

During the protest, demonstrators chanted anti-racist slogans and waved placards describing police as “an occupying army” and intimating that peace officers are white supremacists.

“Police officers have the power to enforce laws, but they have to be held accountable,” said Novick. “This would cancel any form of redress that we have.”

Under existing laws, a jury may award unlimited punitive damages to a victim if a police officer is found to have intentionally violated the person’s constitutional rights.

Moorhead’s bill would require proof that the officer intended to inflict serious injury on the person, which would block justifiable lawsuits against officers who “intimidate and harass people based on the color of their skin,” Novick said.

The bill would also limit civil damages against individual police officers to $10,000, making it difficult for any plaintiff to hire an attorney, he added.

Moorhead’s office was closed for the King birthday holiday, but Peter Musurlian, the congressman’s district director, accused the protesters of using the “race angle” to cloud the issue and said the bill’s purpose is to protect the individual officers from financial ruin.

“They (the victims) can still go after the law enforcement agency. Why do they have to go after the officers?” he said.

Musurlian said Moorhead sponsored the bill, which is still awaiting hearings on Capitol Hill, at the request of Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block. Block has said that law enforcement officers are restrained from performing their jobs effectively because they fear being sued and losing their homes and belongings.

“That kind of fear is going to have a negative effect on law enforcement,” Musurlian said. “It is inevitable, with millions of police officers across the country, that you’re going to have a few bad apples who are going to break the law, and they should be punished. This bill strikes a balance between the officers suffering the consequences of their actions, without totally destroying them financially.”

The protesters said their purpose Monday was to raise public awareness of the bill, which has received scant media coverage.

“If people find out about this, they’re going to get mad. They’re going to fight it,” said protester Daniel Calvo, 27, of Los Angeles.