Page 125 - North Carolina 2020 Legal Guide
P. 125

Task: Duty to Protect Citizens






          DeShaney v. Winnebago County,  489 U.S. 189 (1989).

               Law enforcement officers, like all government actors, generally have

               no duty under the constitution to protect citizens from harm caused

               by third party, non-government actors.





          • Law enforcement officers have an obligation to protect citizens who

               they have taken into custody because in depriving the person of

               liberty, officers have also deprived the individual of the ability to care

               for him or herself.

















                                     ©2020 Jack Ryan  Legal & Liability Risk Management Institute                                   124
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