Interesting Stats About Suing Police

Many people have tried to sue the Phoenix Police Department but very few have succeeded in their efforts. Here are some interesting stats about suing the Phoenix Police department.

  • The Arizona Republic reports that of the 1,675 claims filed against Phoenix Police the city paid out $17.2 million from September to 2009 to September 2015. This included $1.2 million for property damage and $16 million in bodily injury payouts.
  • police officerNow that may seem like a large number but it was also found that 58 percent of the closed cases levied against Phoenix PD recieved no payout whatsoever. These cases were closed for several reasons but primarily because the courts found no fault by officer accused.
  • The majority of claims filed against the police are for traffic violations such as failure to yield or being rear-ended by a police vehicle.
  • 226 claims of excessive force were filed between 2009 and 2014, but a whopping 207 were closed with no payment to plaintiff. The 19 victors in those cases received between $750 and $750,000 with an average payout of $58,000. The largest excessive force claim was awarded to the family of Doris Watkins, who died after an altercation with police.
  • There were 58 shooting claims between 2009 and 2014. With only four receiving bodily-injury pay and three received money for property damage. The other 51 cases were closed with no money awarded.
  • The plaintiff with the highest shooting payout was Anthony Arambula, who was shot six times before police officer learned that Arambula was the homeowner, not the intruder. Arambula was awarded $1.75 million after initially seeking $5.75 million in damages. The case was heard at the federal level before the parties reached a settlement.

Now what could explain the low number of success in suing the Phoenix Police Department? It is tough to determine excessive force or wrongful death when police officers are operating in highly dangerous jobs.

If you believe that you may have a case against the Phoenix Police Department then give us a call today.

 

 

photo by Daniel Schwen on Wikimedia Commons