Page 44 - Original 2020 Legal Guide By Jack Ryan
P. 44

Task: Disorderly Conduct Arrests/Speech






          Houston v. Hill, 482 U.S. 451 (1987).

               Police officers are not justified in making arrests for disorderly

               conduct-type charges, where an individual questions or otherwise

               criticizes an officer’s actions.





          • The Court suggested that even fighting words, when directed at an

               officer should be treated differently since trained officers are unlikely

               to respond to such words.


          • “The freedom of individuals verbally to oppose or challenge police

               action without thereby risking arrest is one of the principal

               characteristics by which we distinguish a free nation from a police

               state.”







                                     ©2020 Jack Ryan  Legal & Liability Risk Management Institute                                    43
   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49