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What does assault under color of authority means in Maryland?

Written by
ruxandra
June 17th, 2016

In the US, there are a lot of cases when a police officer overexerts their legal boundaries, hurting the people they are trying to apprehend. If they do that, they can be charged with assault under color of authority in Maryland. If you were the victim of misbehavior by a police officer, you should contact a personal injury lawyer from Maryland. In this article, you will better understand what assault under color of authority means and what you should do if you are a victim of such a crime.

Color of law

In law enforcement, there are always checks and balances that ensure officers are acting lawfully when an offender is in their custody. This checks and balances system is the color of law. Legally, the color of law is defined as the case when an authority is willingly depriving a person of their rights and privileges stated in the US Constitution. Any authority, including police officers, security guards, judges, mayors, members of the Congress and city council members need to act under the color of law. If the color of law is broken, the person who breaks it will be charged with a federal crime. If you were the victim of an assault by an officer, you could contact an Annapolis injury attorney. If you are an assault victim in Maryland, you may be entitled to assault compensation in MD.

Under color of authority

Under color of authority is a phrase used in the US and it indicates that an officer is implying or claiming the acts they are committing are related to and/or legitimized by their role as a governmental agent, especially if those acts are unlawful. The law is clear. Any public officer who assaults or beats any person without lawful necessity will be punished by incarceration in a county jail, or by a fine, or by both.

The law is pretty clear in regards to the overexertion of the power in officers in Maryland. If a policeman assaulted you without lawful necessity, they would be charged with assault under color of authority in Maryland, and you may be entitled to assault compensation in MD. It is unpleasant to be an assault victim in Maryland, and nobody should suffer from this. With the help of an Annapolis injury lawyer, you could receive the compensation you are entitled to and the guilty officer will be punished.

Even police can get punished

There are a lot of cases where police officers assault the offender they are trying to put into custody. Maybe they had a bad day, and the assault is their way of relieving stress, but because another person that has the same Constitutional rights has to suffer, the officer has to be punished. With the support of an Annapolis injury attorney, you can prove that you were assaulted.

You can contact the best personal injury lawyer from Maryland at (443) 569-3950 or at email chris@annapolisaccidentattorney.com. You will receive a free consultation on your case and together with an Annapolis injury lawyer you will have the best strategy prepared for your case.

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