Drummond Woodsum Attorneys Ed Benjamin and Kasia Park Presented at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy

Drummond Woodsum attorneys Ed Benjamin and Kasia Park recently served on the faculty of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s 2018 New Chiefs Seminar.  This course is intended for newly appointed Chiefs of Police/Deputy Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs/Chief Deputy Sheriffs and is designed to prepare them for the challenges of running a law enforcement agency.  Their portion of the seminar focused on civil liability for law enforcement, tackling hot button issues such as the use of deadly force, dealing with persons in a mental health crisis, race relations, transgender rights, and the ever-increasing use of body cameras by police officers.

“The potential for civil liability is something that agency heads must deal with regularly.  For new Chiefs and Sheriffs, knowing ways to mitigate that potential and examining prior cases is extremely beneficial,” commented Don Finnegan, Training Coordinate at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.  Mr. Finnegan expressed the Academy’s appreciation to Attorneys Benjamin and Park for their “generous contributions of time, knowledge and expertise.”

Audio and video recordings from numerous cases Attorneys Benjamin and Park have defended, including a police shooting, provided attendees with real-life examples of the most common types of claims they encounter as defense attorneys representing municipalities and their police officers in claims arising out of law enforcement activities.

Participant’s lauded the presentation saying, “Kasia and Ed were outstanding! This is critical information that should be shown at all levels of law enforcement. Excellent job!”