WGNO

State lawmakers reject qualified immunity bill

BATON ROUGE – State lawmakers on a House committee have rejected a push to eliminate protections for certain police officers sued for excessive force.

The concept, called qualified immunity, shields officers from any civil charges in cases when they’re accused of wrongful death or physical injury.

Supporters of the bill say the concept protects so-called bad actors in policing. Its opponents say making this bill a law would have hurt the so-called good actors.