Policy Violations are NOT Crimes!

There is a dangerous trend developing across Michigan: administrators and prosecutors are increasingly trying to turn departmental policy violations into criminal charges against law enforcement officers.

Every LEO understands that policies matter for internal accountability. One critical boundary must never be crossed by administration or prosecutors: Working backward from a policy violation to try and manufacture criminal intent, recklessness, or unreasonableness expands the criminal code in a way the legislature never intended. A department policy is not a criminal statute.

Failing to follow a specific agency procedure or de-escalation technique may warrant an administrative review but it does not automatically establish criminal conduct.

Winning this battle requires an experienced defense team that knows how to stop administrators and prosecutors from substituting a department handbook for the actual law. When an internal policy investigation starts looking and feeling like a criminal investigation, do not wait for charges to be filed. The time to protect your rights, your career, and your freedom is before your administrators or prosecutor turns into a prosecution.

Defender of the Blue: Attorneys for Law Enforcement.