Inspired by another thread, I am moved to ask what liability the police have if they damage property while executing a search warrant, assuming that they found no evidence (or that the evidence seized turned out to have no bearing in the matter at hand or any other matter at law). Do the police have immunity if they were acting in good faith? If not, do you have to file a lawsuit to get the matter resolved?
I was talking to a (police) friend about this recently. From a uk prospective, it goes like this.
Your house gets raided because they have a warrant to do so. Anything that gets damaged and regardless of of if they find anything or not, police will state they’re not liable for the damage.
However, if the ‘incident’ party makes an official complaint and it’s upheld they will pay out. But it’s not the default position.