Wednesday, April 30, 2003

911 call about boyfriend's injuries leads to boyfriend's arrest and qualified immunity for arresting officers

The Sixth Circuit case of Thacker v. City of Columbus, decided today, presents an interesting scenario demonstrating the Fourth Amendment consequences of a 911 call. The police showed up with the paramedics and entered the premises without permission to find out what was going on and to make sure the paramedics were safe, and while they were there, they noticed bruises all over the injured man's girlfriend, and arrested the man for domestic violence. The court of appeals concluded that there was no Fourth Amendment violation, or in any event, the defendants were entitled to qualified immunity.

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