Does the doctrine of qualified immunity protect a police officer from liability for civil damages arising out of a Fourth Amendment violation?

MultiRegion, United States of America

The following excerpt is from Walters v. City of San Diego, CASE NO. 12cv589-CAB (DHB) (S.D. Cal. 2014):

Further, the doctrine of qualified immunity protects government officials "from liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known." Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818 (1982). Qualified immunity balances two important interests: "[T]he need to hold public officials accountable when they exercise power irresponsibly and the need to shield officials from harassment, distraction, and liability when they perform their duties reasonably." Pearson v. Callahan, 555 U.S. 223, 231 (2009). In the context of arrests, police officers are entitled to qualified immunity from suit for damages arising out of a Fourth Amendment violation if a

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reasonable officer with the same facts as the defendant officer could have reasonably believed that the arrest was supported by probable cause even if a court later determines it was not. Bilbrey v. Brown, 738 F.2d 1462, 1467 (9th Cir. 1984).

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