167: It's "almost impossible" for cops to be held accountable for abuses

How do we fix our national problem with law enforcement abuse?

There's no single silver bullet that will do it, but on this episode of Plain Talk, Fargo defense attorney (and former cop) Mark Friese says one big step in the right direction would be to end to end the qualified immunity America's courts have created for cops.

It's a little complicated, but unless the government waives it the police have immunity from lawsuits unless the courts have established that you have the right you're accusing the cops of violating. So unless you can show the court that you have a right not to have a cop kneel on your neck until you are dead, a lawsuit with that complaint is likely to be dismissed.

This makes it "almost impossible" for law enforcement to be held accountable in the civil courts.

Friese says other steps, such as removing "incentives for police to treat people inappropriately" and generally winnowing the number of crimes on the books, would also help.