More than 300 law professors urge Congress to address police impunity

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• More than 300 law professors have signed a letter asking leaders of Congress to end "qualified immunity."
• The doctrine of "qualified immunity" makes it nearly impossible to hold police or their departments financially responsible for official wrongdoing.
• "This is an unprecedented moment in the history of our country, and decisive action must be taken to restore faith in government and the police," the professors argue.
• Bills to end qualified immunity have been introduced in both the House and Senate, but no Republicans have signed on.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

What happens when someone paid to enforce the law breaks it instead? Too often, even when the wrongdoing is not in dispute, the answer is: not much at all.

That, in part, is due to something called "qualified immunity," a doctrine stemming from a 1982 US Supreme Court decision that, in effect, makes it next to impossible to hold a state official or the department they serve financially liable for violating the rights of the public they serve.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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