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View Full Version : Can a police officer slander someone?


mikemann89
Mar 26, 2012, 10:06 AM
I live in a little suburb outside of the city of Milwaukee, but it's still in Milwaukee County... Anyway, I guess my mother got into a argument with her neighbor about a birdbath, and who it actually belonged to because my mother is know living in her past mothers house, and her mother let the neighbor move the birdbath to the property line so my grandmother could see the birds better...

Anyway, my mother moved it back to its original location and the neighbors called the police saying my mother stole the birdbath... When the police were there, at one point or another my mother mentioned how my grandmother helped this neighbor out financially/etc and before she moved and that the neighbor had stolen property (which he did--but isn't the point or situation I'm getting at) and the police officer came out with that ALL her kids (my mother has five children total, with the youngest being 14) are on drugs and "shooting-up heroine" and if anything was stolen it would have been her "druggy'kids" that had done it...

So I have a older sister who at one point five years ago was addicted to prescription drugs, but NEVER shot up, or anything close to what they were saying. There has never been any evidence to what they said such as charges against her, etc...

Now when the cop said this he was outside and all the neighbors on the entire block were outside watching and listening. I can only imagine how my mother felt, but I myself am feeling like I should go to the police chief with this, IT IS NOT Right for a cop to sit and slander & deface someone's good name for no reason, and on top of that dismiss any allegations of a crime that was supposed to be being looked into...

What can I do? Does anyone know what a cop can and can't say? I know that they can technically say something if the specific person they're talking about was ever charged with whatever it is that they're referring to, like that so and so "might" be on drugs being as he/she's been charged with possession in the past...

But WHERE IS THE ACTUAL LINE OF SLANDER FOR POLICE? Can they actually give out that kind of information if someone was ever charged to just anyone for no reason, especially if the one they're telling never asked about it?

Please help me! Thank you!

Fr_Chuck
Mar 26, 2012, 10:16 AM
No, they may lie to a suspect to get a confession, but they can not do this and say false things about a person in public

Report this to the police chief. You may even want to hire an attorney to consider a law suit against the officer and the police department

ballengerb1
Mar 26, 2012, 10:21 AM
If you believe the officier slander or defamed you then file a complaint with the Milwaukee County States Attorney or the MFPC. This is nothing new for this or other departments, not all officers are doing a great job serving and protecting. I live near Chicago and we have had our embarrassing moments. Please read this http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1625&context=mulr Also, its defame not deface and this may fall under the category or per se defamation. What do you feel were her damages, having a good name tarnished in itself is not damages. Defamation, Libel and Slander Law (http://www.expertlaw.com/library/personal_injury/defamation.html)

AK lawyer
Mar 27, 2012, 09:49 AM
... "shooting-up heroine" ...

Fay Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061418/), (1967)

sweetbear78147
Aug 3, 2012, 10:02 PM
How about a police chief I have complained about for YEARS goes to my sons place of employment he has done time, and tells his boss, "do you know the type of person you hired?", in uniform on duty. He drove 8 miles to go do this in another town.

excon
Aug 4, 2012, 06:02 AM
how about a police chief i have complained about for YEARS goes to my sons place of employment he has done time, and tells his boss,Hello s:

Yeah, cops suck... Complaining about them only makes it WORSE. They are NOT there to serve YOU...

excon

AK lawyer
Aug 4, 2012, 07:56 AM
how about a police chief i have complained about for YEARS goes to my sons place of employment he has done time, and tells his boss, "do you know the type of person you hired?", in uniform on duty. he drove 8 miles to go do this in another town.

What about it? Truth is a defense. Your son did do time.