53 Taser Cycles, Neck Restraint, & Death: 10th Cir. Rejects Monell Claims Despite Criminal Conviction of Officers
Lakey v. Bryant, No. 25-7068 (10th Cir. July 7, 2026) TL;DR The Tenth Circuit affirmed judgment in favor of an Oklahoma sheriff following the death of Jared Lakey, who died after being tased 53 times over approximately nine minutes by municipal officers before an assisting sheriff's deputy applied a lateral vascular neck restraint (LVNR). Although the individual municipal officers were ultimately found civilly liable for excessive force and guilty in the criminal proceeding,
6 min read
Split-Second Decisions and Qualified Immunity: Fifth Circuit Affirms QI Despite No Time to Comply with Commands
Searles v. City of Houston, No. 25-20383 (5th Cir. July 9, 2026) TL;DR The Fifth Circuit affirmed qualified immunity for a Houston police officer who fatally shot a felony suspect less than two seconds after ordering him to "show me your hands." Although the court acknowledged the suspect had essentially no opportunity to comply with the command, it held that no clearly established law prohibited the officer's actions under the highly specific facts confronting him. The Fact
5 min read
When a TASER Becomes Deadly Force: A $100 Million Mistake
The Eleventh Circuit reminds officers that it's not always the weapon—it may be the environment that determines whether force is constitutionally "deadly." Over the past decade, courts have routinely described conducted energy weapons (CEWs), commonly referred to as TASERs, as intermediate force, not deadly force. That classification has shaped countless use-of-force decisions and training programs. But as every use-of-force instructor knows, no force option exists in a vacuu
5 min read