Aliso Viejo Police Misconduct Attorney

ALISO VIEJO POLICE MISCONDUCT ATTORNEY

Aliso Viejo Police Misconduct Attorney Jerry L. Steering has been suing police officers since 1984. Mr. Steering sues the police the City of Aliso Viejo and other cities in Orange County and otherwise throughout California.

Mr. Steering specializes in suing police officers for police brutality * excessive force, false arrests, malicious criminal prosecutions, wrongful death by police officers (including shootings and smothering) and other Civil Rights and Constitutional Violations by deputy sheriffs and police officers.

ALISO VIEJO IS PATROLLED BY THE ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT

The City of Aliso Viejo contracts with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to provide its police services. Mr. Steering has been suing the Orange County Sheriff’s Department since he moved to Orange County, California, in 1986.

Over the years, the OC Sheriff’s Department has earned a reputation for being overly brutal, with the use of force being a first option, rather than an option of last resort. This is a well-earned reputation. Although there are plenty of basically honest deputy sheriffs with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, if they were all honest and civilized, you probably wouldn’t be reading this web page right now.

Moreover, although a majority of OC Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs are not sadists and don’t “pick fights” with the public, a small minority of deputies do.

Police officers have been given a great amount of power over the years; especially since 1968 when the Supreme Court essentially gave the police more power than a judge in Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968). A judge cannot order that a civilian be detained for investigation and patted down for weapons based upon nothing more than a claim that the officer wants to ensure that he/she goes home at the end of his/her shift, not to the morgue. Under Terry v. Ohio, a police officer can, these days, on little or no evidence of criminality by the civilian. 

Because of this awesome power given to the police, a small minority of police officers, including Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies, often attempt to provoke you into verbally challenging their authority or attitude toward you, and they beat-you-up, falsely arrest you for a “resistance offense” (i.e. resisting arrest, battery on peace officer), and then procure your malicious criminal prosecution based on a police report full of material lies, don’t look to the other deputies to tell the truth; they won’t.

You used to believe that if you simply reasonably exercise a protected constitutional right, that you would not be beaten, falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted. So much for that. If you are reading this page, you now know otherwise.

Here are some examples of Mr. Steering’s cases against the Orange County Sheriff’s Department:

David Andrews v. County of Orange; U.S. District Court (Santa Ana) $500,00.00 for false arrest / tasing. David Andrews was accosted and detained by Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs for failing to identify himself to them. When the deputies started to leave, Mr. Andrews called the Sheriff’s Department to complain about the deputies, they returned to him, tased him and took him to jail.

Gomez v. County of Orange; U.S. District Court (Santa Ana); $2.1 million the wrongful death of Jason Gomez at the Orange County Jail due to suffocation via positional asphyxia.

Torrance v. County of Orange, U.S. District Court (Santa Ana); $380,000.00 for false arrest and tasing.

Chamberlain v. County of Orange, U.S. District Court (Santa Ana)(2009); obtained $600,000.00 for failure to protect pre-trial detainee in the Orange County Jail.

George Chamberlain v. County of Orange, U.S. District Court, Santa Ana. $600,00.00 for jail beating by fellow inmates resulting in death of inmate.

Butano v. County of Orange; U.S. District Court (Santa Ana); $727,500.00 for false arrest and excessive force. 

Spring v. County of Orange, U.S. District Court (Santa Ana); James Spring, 62, recovered $500,000.00 for injuries suffered by jail inmate when the jail staff knew that he had a hernia, and nonetheless forced him to work in the jail kitchen.

Sharp v. County of Orange, U.S. District Court (Santa Ana).

 

In 2000, an Orange County Superior Court jury awarded Merritt Sharp III $1,000,000.00 for a 45-minute detention of his person for the warrantless search of his Auto Body Shop. Seventeen years later, Mr. Sharp again obtained $250,000.00 (the case vs. Orange County) following a landmark Opinion from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 

Baima v. County of Orange, U.S. District Court (Santa Ana) $208,000.00 for excessive force.

Mr. Steering has also had many acquittals in Orange County Superior Court; especially in cases involving false arrests. See, Celli v. County of Orange, et al; U.S. District Court (Santa Ana); $208,000.00 for false arrest / unreasonable force following acquittal in Superior Court for resisting arrest.

FREE CASE EVALUATION

If you are the victim of police misconduct, such as a false arrest, the use of excessive force, a malicious criminal prosecution, first amendment / free speech retaliation, or other police outrages, we can help you. See, What To Do If You Have Been Beaten-Up or Falsely Arrested By The Police.

If you are the victim of police misconduct, such as an old fashioned police beating, or have been falsely arrested or maliciously prosecuted, we can help. Call (949) 474-1849 for a free consultation, or click the Free Case Evaluation button and tell us your story.

Serving the Following Orange County Cities:

 

Police Misconduct Specialties:
Excessive Force Concealing Evidence Destroying Evidence False Arrest	K-9 Maulings Malicious Prosecution Police Beatings Police Brutality	Police Shootings Whistle Blower Retaliation Wrongful Death

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