Emerging Legal Trends & Liability Management for Tactical, SWAT & Emergency Response Operations

One of the most critical tasks in law enforcement involves the use of tactical officers to accomplish high risk operations. While the success of these operations requires extensive training and proper equipment, success also requires sound judgment from the moment the decision is made to utilize a tactical response to the event. Over the last decade, tactical operations have come under the scrutiny of the courts. This is largely the result of lawsuits filed against agencies and officers following a tactical operation.

This two-day course utilizes a case-study approach in order to identify the important policy and practice considerations that will assist tactical commanders, supervisors and officers in making legally defensible decisions without compromising operations during an event. Class participants will be presented with legal cases and policy issues that impact tactical operations and ultimately, liability. The training is unique in its approach and will provide a road map to practical implementation without hindering operations or compromising officer safety.

The course will be presented by Jack Ryan, an attorney in Rhode Island and a graduate Juris Doctorate, Cum Laude from Suffolk University Law School. He has 20 years of law enforcement experience as a police officer in Providence, RI. Jack’s law degree and police experience give him the unique perspective of public safety legal and liability issues. He is a former adjunct faculty member at Salve Regina University and lectures frequently throughout the United States. He has authored several legal publications, and has written policies and procedures that have been adopted by over 1,000 law enforcement and corrections agencies across the country.