August 8, 2023

1:00 am – 2:00 pm Eastern

Free to IMLA Members - CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.

Police:  Why didn’t they just shoot the gun out of his hand? Defending police uses of force in the era of BWC & cell phone videos

In popular culture, fictionalized versions of police encounters often depict officers flawlessly shooting a gun out of a suspect's hand. However, it is crucial to address the unrealistic nature of such scenarios in real-life law enforcement. This webinar aims to shed light on key topics, including the impact of life-and-death situational stress, the training officers receive, and the limitations of video evidence captured by body-worn cameras (BWC) and cell phones. By understanding these critical aspects, municipal attorneys can effectively convey accurate and informed messages to jurors, judges, insurance adjusters, and the general public.

Speaker: Beth Mohr (Bmohr@themchardfirm.com)

Beth A. Mohr is a police practices expert with 30 years of sworn and non-sworn investigative experience.  Beth has testified as an expert on police procedures and police misconduct in state and federal courts, in both criminal and civil matters, and in depositions resulting from that work, called on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.  Beth have specifically been affirmed by the courts as an expert, through a Daubert challenge in federal court, in the areas of police practices, interviewing, interrogation, and false confessions, as well as in the areas of human trafficking and vice.  Beth is a Nationally Certified Law Enforcement Instructor, as certified by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST); fewer than 150 individuals have been awarded this elite certification.  She is also a law enforcement instructor as certified by the State of California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).  Beth has a forthcoming book chapter entitled “Skepticism” in the book The Art of Investigation Revisited, which is available for pre-order through Amazon.com.  She has also recently published an article on “Understanding and Preventing False Confessions”.  In addition to her investigations and expert testimony work, Beth chaired the City of Albuquerque’s Police Oversight Board, created in the wake of Albuquerque’s Consent Decree with the United States Department of Justice.