Police Disciplinary Appeals

03/01/2018 Scholarship

By Stephen Rushin & Campaign Zero

Study: This Article argues that police disciplinary appeals serve as an underappreciated
barrier to officer accountability and organizational reform. Scholars and experts
generally agree that rigorous enforcement of internal regulations within a police
department promotes constitutional policing by deterring future misconduct and
removing unfit officers from the streets. In recent years, though, a troubling pattern
has emerged. Because of internal appeals procedures, police departments must often
rehire or significantly reduce disciplinary sanctions against officers who have engaged
in serious misconduct. Little legal research has comprehensively examined the appeals
process available to officers facing disciplinary sanctions.