Police Misconduct Attorney Jerry L. Steering has been suing the police since 1984 for police brutality, false arrests, malicious criminal prosecutions and First Amendment retaliation cases. Mr. Steering in an Expert and Specialist in suing the police in federal court for constitutional violations in the Phelan area of San Bernardino County, throughout San Bernardino County, and throughout the State of California. Mr. Steering has also sued the government as far away as in federal court in Alabama and in the District of Columbia. Mr. Steering’s many years of experience and acquired knowledge can help you maximize your chances of actually winning your Police Misconduct Civil Rights case, and winning is the only thing that matters. If you cannot win your Civil Rights Police Misconduct Lawsuit then you have no rights, because you have no way to enforce them. A right without a real-world remedy (i.e. winning your case) is no right at all; at least for you. It doesn’t matter what the law states, or what the Judge says, or what the jury instructions say, or even what the evidence shows, if a jury of 8 cop-loving jurors is not going to unanimously vote for you in your federal court Police Misconduct Civil Rights case. As the old saying goes, “The young lawyer knows the law, but the old lawyer knows the Judge” and Mr. Steering’s understanding the technical and practical legal landscape of Police Misconduct Civil Rights cases will dramatically increase your chances of winning your case; of actually enforcing your constitutional rights. THE POLICE IN PHELAN ARE QUITE OFTEN BRUTAL AND ARE INSTITUTIONALLY DISHONEST. Phelan is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, in the Victor Valley of the Mojave Desert, north of the San Gabriel Mountains. The estimated population of Phelan is 18,000. Phelan is patrolled by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, deploying out of the substation located at 4050 Phelan Road, Phelan, California. The demographics of the Phelan neighborhood of San Bernardino County is 64.8% White alone, 0.6% Black alone, 1.4% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 2.0% Asian alone, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, 22.9% Two or More Races, 44.9% Hispanic or Latino and 48.1% White alone, not Hispanic or Latino. The Phelan neighborhood of San Bernardino County along with other High Desert neighborhoods and cities are riddled with criminal street gangs. See, IE officials make 27 felony arrests, seize 20 firearms in operation targeting street gangs, KABC 7 News, June 13, 2023 (27 felony arrests during a sweeping bust targeting violent crime and street gangs); Operation Consequences Results in Seizure of 10 Firearms and 33 Arrests Amid Ongoing Crime Suppression Efforts, Victor Valley News Group, March 12, 2025 (street gang search warrants executed by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in San Bernardino, Phelan, Rialto, and Colton); 70 arrested in months-long drug, gang bust operation in San Bernardino County, KABC 30 News, February 6, 2017. In part having to deal with these criminal street gangs on a daily basis, a substantial percentage of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department have become so jaded that they treat regular nice law abiding civilians like street gangsters. That, coupled with the attitude “Up the Hill” of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs that they are the “Baddest Gang in Town” where the use of force is their fist option rather than the last option, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs have a terrible but well deserved reputation for brutality and false arrests. Moreover, the “Baddest Gang in Town” attitude “Up the Hill” of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs often results in the “Up the Hill” of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs being sued; a lot. See, ACLU SoCal v. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, is a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department requiring it hand over documents spelling out its policies and practices for using Tasers in the wake of several deaths resulting from shocking people multiple times with the electronic weapons. The sheriff’s office had refused to turn over records that could be used to determine what changes the department had made in its policies on using Tasers and whether those changes have been effective. ACLU Southern California, March 26, 2015 Family files $30 million claim after Southern California man shot and killed by deputies, KTLA 5 News, April 3, 2025 Phelan Man Shot After Allegedly Pointing Gun at Deputy, Victor Valley News Group, Jan. 27, 2017; 43-year-old man, Allen Kephart, dies after being shot with Taser during dispute over blown stop sign, New York Daily News, January 13, 2019; Phelan Suspect Killed In Officer Involved Walmart Shooting ID’d, Victor Valley News Group, June 1, 2017; CHP officer cleared in fatal officer-involved shooting, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, August 28, 2017; Phelan Man Shot Dead by Deputies Outside Hesperia Wal-Mart Was Driving Car Stolen From a Victorville Home, KTLA 5 News/Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2017; 39-Year-Old Pinon Hills Man Dies Following Phelan Motorcycle Crash, YouTube, April 27, 2025; San Bernardino Deputies Involved In Shooting On 15 Freeway In Nevada With Homicide Suspect, KCAL News, January 8, 2020 Mr. Steering has successfully sued the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for brutality, false arrests and malicious criminal prosecutions. See: Margaret Alba v. City of Barstow, et al.; $1,150,000.00, U.S. Dist. Court, Central Dist. of Cal. (Riverside) obtained following successful jury verdict for wrongful death. Morgan v. County of San Bernardino, U.S. Dist. Court, Cent. Dist. of Cal. (Riverside) (1996), $714,000.00 settlement following jury verdict for excessive force and false arrest during search warrant execution in Apple Valley, California. Austin v. County of San Bernardino, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, $500,000.00 jury verdict for false arrest and excessive force. Lopez v. County of San Bernardino, U.S. Dist. Court Cent. Dist. of Cal. (Riverside) (2002), $50,000.00 settlement for racially motivated battery; Miller v. City of San Bernardino, et al, U.S. Dist. Court Cent. Dist. of Cal. (Riverside) (2003), $35,000.00 settlement for unlawful detention. Calderon v. County of San Bernardino, U.S. Dist. Court, Central Dist. of Cal. (Riverside)(2003), $115,000.00 settlement for false arrest and illegal search. Arroyo v. City of San Bernardino, U.S. Dist. Court, Central Dist. of Cal. (Riverside)(2004), $125,000.00 settlement for unreasonable seizure of person. Ford v. County of San Bernardino, (2007), $80,000.00 settlement for excessive force. In re Jane Doe v. County of San Bernardino, et al., (2008), $290,000.00 settlement (prior to filing lawsuit) for sexually motivated mistreatment of arrestee. Aubrey v. County of San Bernardino, et. al, U.S. Dist. Court (LA) 2012, $325,000.00 settlement for the use of unreasonable force and for false arrest; and Jones v. County of San Bernardino, et al.; $170,000.00 U.S. Dist. Court (LA) settlement for unreasonable seizure of person. Penny Trent v. County of San Bernardino, et al., $600,000.00 settlement for unreasonable seizure of person. David Scott v. County of San Bernardino, et al; $390,000.00 settlement after winning case on appeal to the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Tommy Mark Franks, Jr. v. County of San Bernardino, et al.; et al; $500,000.00, U.S. Dist. Court, Central Dist. of Cal. (Santa Ana) obtained following successful jury verdict for false arrest. IF YOU ARE THE VICTIM OF POLICE MISCONDUCT, JERRY L. STEERING CAN HELP YOU ACTUALLY ENFORCE YOUR RIGHTS BY WINNING YOUR CASE. The only thing that matters when enforcing your rights, is whether you win your case. If you don’t win your case, then you have no rights because you have no way to enforce them. Just because the police violated your constitutional rights doesn’t mean that you can do anything about it. In order to “do something about it”, to enforce your constitutional rights, it takes a great deal of experience, insights, skill and savvy. You need a unanimous jury of usually 8 jurors to vote in your favor in federal court to win your case. If you mouth-off to the cops or don’t do what the police tell you to do or cuss out the cops, or act like a jerk, one or more of the jurors in your case may not vote for you. That is the reality in which we all live. Mr. Steering’s many years of experience and knowledge in suing the police can help you maximize your chances of winning your Police Misconduct Civil Rights case, and winning is the only thing that matters. Jerry L. Steering has been suing police agencies for constitutional violations since 1984. He has the experience, insights, skill and savvy to actually win your police misconduct civil rights case, and winning is the only thing that matters. If you are the victim of police misconduct, Jerry L. Steering can help you. Call Jerry L. Steering, Esq. at (949) 474-1849, or email Mr. Steering at jerry@steeringlaw.com . FREE CASE EVALUATION
