Police brutality is a hot topic and a very sensitive one all over the United States. In New Jersey, things look particularly bad as, according to a recent report, there were over 72,000 incidents concerning an excessive use of force by the police. What do you do when you’re the victim of police brutality? You use the law as your protection and get in touch with seasoned New Jersey police brutality lawyers. When it comes to a police action, such as an arrest, there’s a very fine line between an officer’s right to protect themselves and the use of unjustified force. Incidents of this nature happen very fast and it’s very easy for a police officer to misinterpret your actions and overreact. At the same time, they may use excessive force if they have reason to suspect members of the public might be in danger. Unfortunately, there are also many incidents when they have no reason to believe you might pose a threat and they still use unnecessary force against you. If you’re anywhere in Middlesex County and think you were subjected to excessive force, you need to look up skilled East Brunswick police brutality lawyers. And you need to do it fast. According to the law, you only have 90 days to file a notice of claim to preserve your legal right to sue the police department. You can use New Jersey civil rights laws to sue the police department or you can make a federal case out of it using section 1983 under Title 42 of the Civil Rights Act.And you’ll want a very good lawyer to prepare your case. In order to prove that the police acted unlawfully, your lawyer will have to interview eyewitnesses and review the police reports regarding the incident. Bodycams can also be very useful to establish the truth.

A police officer wearing a body camera. Image via Wikimedia Commons/user:Ryan Johnson. (CCA-BY-2.0).

The most difficult part of such a case is establishing a pattern of brutality. In other words, you’ll have a much stronger case if you can prove that it was not an isolated incident, but an action made possible by a culture of violence present in that police department.An experienced police brutality lawyer, will interview all the police officers involved in the incident to understand how they think and whether they approve of the use of violence. At the same time, your lawyer will comb through the archives to see if there’s a pattern, if there’s a suspiciously large number of similar incidents involving officers in that department. They will also establish whether or not the officers that used violence against you have been accused of police brutality in the past. If your lawyer decides you have a strong case you can sue the police department and ask for damages. You are entitled to be compensated for any medical bills if you were injured in the course of the action. Also, you can be compensated for lost wages and receive damages for the emotional trauma you suffered.