Legal Update / Liability Programs

Class	Flyer	Dates	Location	Price (per officer)	Registration
Administration Overview & Liability Avoidance for Training Officers		POSTPONED Future date TBA soon	Southington P.D.	$249	Register Here
Use of Force Liability Avoidance		Jan 17, 2025	Bloomfield P.D.	$99	Register Here
Use of Force Liability Avoidance		April 17, 2025	Norwalk P.D.	$99	Register Here
Search & Seizure Review		TBD	Looking for Hosts!	$115

Any program offered on our website can be brought to your agency!

Click here to request your agency to host a program!

Choose a course description from the dropdown below to learn more about our programs or click on the 2024-2025 Training Program Catalog to learn about our currently scheduled programs.

—Please choose an option—Alcohol & Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault ProgramBasic Interview & InterrogationBuilding Partnerships of Trust in Our CommunitiesCold Case InvestigationsCrime Scene InvestigationDeath Scene ProtocolFirst Line SupervisionIn-Service TrainingInternal Affairs InvestigationsInvestigative PhotographyMethod of InstructionMid-Management SupervisionNarcotics InvestigationPause, Reflect, ActRed Book Review - Legal Update/Public Act ReviewReport Writing CourseSchool Resource OfficerSearch & Seizure ReviewUse of Force Liability

2024 Red Book Review:

Comprehensive Annual Legal Update

Increased scrutiny and criticism of police has resulted in an increased demand for annual legal update training to ensure officers receive more current law. We will be offering annual legal updates to include binding cases from the United States Supreme Court, Second Circuit and Connecticut Appellate Courts as well as statutory updates from the year prior to the date of training. Only law directly applicable to effective law enforcement and issues related to protecting the interests of officers will be offered. The course will be in person to allow for maximum interaction. Students may attend this legal update as a standalone or as part of a complete recertification training program.

This annual legal update will provide officers with an understanding of the laws related to their authority to stop, arrest, search, and interview and interrogation in accordance with the U.S. and CT Constitutions, statutes and caselaw. Only current applicable caselaw and statutes binding on CT officers will be addressed from the topics listed on the reverse side of this flyer. At the close of training, student officers will understand the limits of their authority in stopping, questioning, detaining, searching, and using force against persons in the context of investigative stops; when and how they may arrest individuals, the extent of their authority in conducting searches with and without search warrants, and when they may interview and interrogate suspects and arrestees while ensuring the rights of such persons are fully protected.

2024-2025 Liability Update:

Student Officers may attend this Liability Update as a stand-alone or as part of a complete Review Training Program offered by Spector Training. This annual liability update includes Police Ethics Area 101 and Bias Free Policing, Area 413. Connecticut residents, visitors and officers need and deserve a practical nuts and bolts course training officers about what to do and what not to do in their everyday tasks to avoid misconduct complaints and how to develop better relationships with members of their communities, particularly the children. This course covers all potential liability encounters from stop and frisk, racial profiling and bias, arrests and searches, duties to protect, operation of vehicles and all use of force issues from handcuffing to deadly use of force. This course is necessary for all officers. The course is based on U.S. Supreme Court, Second Circuit and Connecticut cases, including cases culled from Mr. Spector’s work and studies during his professional life that has focused almost exclusively on alleged police misconduct and alleged civil liability.

2024-2025 Legal Update:

Includes Criminal Law, Liability and Use of Force Annual Requirement

This hybrid legal training day includes an annual Legal Update and will provide officers with an understanding of the laws related to authority to stop, arrest, search, and interrogate in accordance with the U.S. and CT Constitutions, statutes and caselaw. Only current applicable caselaw and statutes binding on CT officers will be addressed from the topics listed on the reverse side of this flyer. At the close of training, officers will understand how the prior year’s law changes their authority in investigating and enforcing the law including use of force. They will also learn how to avoid misconduct complaints related to investigative stops, arrests, searches, duty to protect and use of force. This update will cover new statutes effecting police including the new cannabis laws. CT residents, visitors and officers need and deserve a practical nuts and bolts course training officers about what to do and what not to do in their everyday tasks to avoid misconduct complaints and how to develop better relationships with members of their communities, particularly the children. This course covers potential Liability encounters from stop and frisk, racial profiling and bias, arrests and searches, duties to protect, operation of vehicles and all use of force issues from handcuffing to deadly use of force. The course is based on U.S. Supreme Court, Second Circuit and Connecticut cases, including cases culled from Mr. Spector’s work and studies during his professional life that has focused almost exclusively on alleged police misconduct and alleged civil liability. The liability update includes the Use of Force Annual Requirement!

Search and Seizure Review:

This seminar will review the exceptions, principles, procedural requirements, constitutional law, statutory law and case law relating to search & seizure, incorporating scenarios in which students will actively participate. This scenario-based class will present facts from recent cases from the U.S. Supreme Court, Second Circuit and Connecticut Courts. The class will collaborate on decision making, applicable to all aspects of Search and Seizure. In essence, every officer will participate to help the entire class reach some sound conclusions. Attorney Iger will identify current court decisions regarding searching vehicles and persons without a warrant from the U.S. Supreme Court, Second Circuit and Connecticut Courts.
This class is recommended for new police officers who require a refresher following recruit training.

What is Covered:

• 4th, 5th and 6th Amendment protections under the U.S. Constitution as well as Article 1, Section 7 and Article 1, Section 9, of the Connecticut Constitution that relate to search & seizure
• “Due Process” under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as it relates to search and seizure by state and local officers
• The ‘Exclusionary Rule’
• Exceptions to the search warrant requirement (non-search concepts) e.g., Plain View, Abandonment, Third-party Search, and Stop & Frisk (Terry Doctrine)
• “Knock and Announce” rule
• Procedures for searching a premises with a warrant and the limits of detentions and searches of persons on the search premises
• Recognized exceptions to the warrant requirement regarding search of persons or property such as: Incident to Arrest/Valid Scope of Search, Valid Consent: Voluntary, Open Fields Doctrine/Curtilage, Caretaking and Inventory Searches, Exigent Circumstances, Emergency Doctrine and Hot Pursuit, and Public Safety
• The Terry Doctrine/ Stop and Frisk
• Consent to Search from authorized persons who jointly occupy and have common authority
• Protective Sweeps
• Free Speech or Hate Crimes
• Interrogation Issues

General Civil Liability:

Includes case law effecting liability risk and more specifically, areas such as Indemnification (personal liability risk), Investigative Detention, False Arrest, Search & Seizure, Failure to Protect, Use of Force, Pursuit, Supervisory Liability, First Amendment Liability Issues, Failure to Train and Hostile Work Environment Claims. These general civil liability blocks of instruction can vary in time depending on the needs of your department.

Executive Liability:

A one or two day seminar that provides executive level supervisors with an understanding of supervisory liability risks and how to avoid such risks. The seminar will include case law regarding Supervisory & Municipal Liability, special issues concerning Hiring and Retaining Employees, Individual Versus Official Capacity, Training & Policy Issues, Technology Issues, Present and Future Critical Liability Issues in Law Enforcement, Excessive Use of Force – Concentrating on Deadly Use of Force, Equipment/Weapons and Officer Safety Issues, Search & Seizure – Inadequate Search Warrants, Improper Execution Searches & Forced Entries, False Arrest with a Concentration on Inadequate Probable Cause, Misidentification, and Warrant Arrests, Failure to Protect – Federal & State Liability Standards, Pursuit – Civil Rights Standards and state tort liability.

Training Officer Liability:

A one-day seminar that will inform training officers of the training liability standards created by the U.S. Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Bryan County. The seminar will provide information to training officers to assist them in understanding liability risks for failure to provide adequate training. Specific instruction will help trainers develop courses, plan curriculum and generally administer courses. Participants will receive seven (7) credits under Area 203.

What is Covered:

• Legal standards applicable to liability for failure to train under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 – civil rights liability, state tort liability and personal training officer vs. Governmental liability.
• Methods of training to avoid liability including training techniques, expert keys to ensure quality programs, and equipment, films, handout materials and other resources.
• Training topics in which liability is most prevalent will be discussed, and suggestions as to how to avoid such liability for: ¨use of excessive force, false arrest, improper handling of mentally ill, search & seizure, failure to protect, liability issues re: statutory required tng. (inc. P.a. 15-4), pursuit of and emergency operation of vehicle.

Use of Force Liability:

A< one day seminar that provides information to officers to assist them in understanding the levels of scrutiny applied to use of force situations; specific instruction will reduce the level of unreasonable force and reduce the exposure of criminal and civil liability, while ensuring that officers understand when and how much force can be used to protect themselves and others and effectively enforce the law. Participants will receive (6.5) credits under Area 203 and (1) credit under Area 209. What will be covered: Constitutional and Statutory Standards: U.S. Supreme Court, 2nd Circuit, Court of Appeals cases & Connecticut General Statutes. Non-lethal Use of Force, Deadly Use of Force,, Equipment/Weapons Issues, Training Issues, Supervisory/Disciplinary and policy Issues, Handling Aggressive Behavior. Focus will be on defending against attacks on police and changing the image re: brutality and racism.

Career Survival for Police Officers:

This course combines ethics, legal standards, recommended appropriate conduct and most importantly instructive messages on how to reduce the risk of misconduct. A number of years ago a Connecticut Chief lost a sergeant and a patrol officer due to allegations of theft. He requested the development of a course to deal with such misconduct because of the high cost of replacing these officers. We expanded the program to include all of the areas which most commonly lead to the destruction of officer careers.

The purpose of the course is:

• To reduce deaths and serious injuries to officers and others
• To avoid arrests of officers and lawsuits
• To avoid the destruction and/or the loss of families
• To avoid harm to individual reputations and the police image

The following topic areas are covered:

• Emergency Operation of Vehicles: Information in this topic area is intended to eliminate the risk of unsafe driving by officers in emergency situations which unnecessarily cause serious injury or death to themselves or others.
• Sexual Misconduct: This topic covers the common situations in which officers become involved in sexual misconduct both on and off duty resulting in federal and state criminal and civil liability as well as terminations and harm to officer families.
• Untruthfulness: Honesty is essential in law enforcement. The cases (including seven US Supreme Court cases) and information provided, instructs officers when they will be terminated for untruthfulness. It also emphasizes the importance of honesty and responding, either as the subject of or witness, to police misconduct.
• Theft: This section covers the various opportunities that lead to the taking of property, the consequences of such thefts and the economic wisdom of avoiding the wrongful taking of property.
• Drinking and Substance Abuse: This topic covers the risks associated with off-duty intoxication and concentrates on the responsibility to protect others who may be harmed by intoxicated persons. It includes recent case law applying state and federal theories of liability in such situations.
• Emotional Problems/Suicides: Recognizing symptoms of emotional and mental fitness and how to respond to such symptoms is intended to help officers assist others to avoid police suicides.

All of the above topics are presented through examples of mostly Connecticut cases applying both federal and state law as well as appropriate police standards and practices. The general theme throughout the course advocates PEER RESPONSIBILITY. Simply put, officers are repeatedly reminded that it is not just the administration and supervisor’s responsibility to control misconduct but reducing misconduct is the responsibility of all officers in the department. Practical ideas are presented to persuade officers to avoid temptations and to use good judgment. Each topic area includes suggestions on how to help other officers who may have or may be about to engage in any of the above types of misconduct.

Attorney Spector’s presentations can range in time from 2 hours to 2 days and can also be modified for various agencies including the training of civilian review boards. For more information on hosting programs and earning free seats please call Tammy LaBonte at 860.593.6550.

Administration Overview & Liability Avoidance for Training Officers

This two-day seminar focuses on what police training is and why we do it. It will inform training officers of the training liability standards created by the U.S. Supreme Court and will provide information to training officers to assist them in understanding liability risks for failure to provide adequate training. Specific instruction will help trainers develop courses, plan curriculums, and administer courses.

The Administrative Overview will include:

1. A review of the entry level process of a police officer including the comparative certification process
2. How much training and what type of training is mandated by CT POST and the State of Connecticut
3. What a training cycle and training year is, and examine a training division’s record keeping and management of training files
4. A review of CT POST required forms
5. The POST Instructor process and their importance to their agency.

Legal standards applicable to liability for failure to train under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 – civil rights liability, state tort liability and personal training officer vs. governmental liability will be covered. Guest speakers will present general information on COLLECT, Accreditation, and Recruit Training, as well as a review of tracking applications available. All trainers will offer tips to ensure you are choosing quality programs that are always consistent with your Connecticut State standards.

Legal Issues for CT K9 Officers

This course will give officers a solid foundation and understanding of when and how to legally employ their police canines, while still honoring the legal protections afforded to those that they have sworn to serve and protect.