Also known as: law officers · peace officer · law-enforcement officer
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A public official designated by authority to keep the peace and arrest persons suspected of crime. The designation covers police officers, sheriffs, and other agents who perform enforcement duties.
Lars Lindstrom stood on a fishing dock when Officer Ruiz announced an arrest and reached for his wrists. Lars recognized the uniform and shoved the officer aside. The court held that force was unjustified because the actor knew a law officer was effecting the arrest.
Lily Lopez operated a private school when state officers publicly announced they would enforce a new compulsory-attendance statute. The officers' enforcement threat placed the school's contracts and property at immediate risk of loss.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Lena Lawson claimed timber cargo seized by a private party. The district attorney, acting as a law officer, filed the libel on his own initiative without presidential instructions. The court examined whether that filing alone supplied the required governmental sanction.
Leah Lamb's home was searched by local law officers without a valid warrant. Evidence obtained was later used in a state prosecution. The Supreme Court considered whether the exclusionary rule applied to the fruits of that search.
Luke Latham was arrested for drunk driving. A law officer directed a physician to draw blood without a warrant. The Court assessed whether the procedure violated the Fourth Amendment under the circumstances.
Lumen Capital challenged a state apportionment plan. The National Institute of Municipal Law Officers filed an amicus brief describing how outdated district lines affected urban representation and election fairness.
Yes. Under Model Penal Code § 3.04(2)(a)(i), force is not justifiable to resist an arrest the actor knows is being made by a peace officer, even if the arrest is unlawful. The limitation channels challenges to judicial proceedings rather than physical confrontation.
Uniform, badge, explicit announcement of arrest, and authoritative conduct together demonstrate knowledge. Courts examine these objective markers rather than later claims of misperception.
No. The absence of a displayed warrant does not restore justification once the actor knows the person is a peace officer effecting an arrest. Procedural defects are litigated later in court.
…have no doubt . . . that it is possible for a suspect's Fifth Amendment right to be violated during in-custody questioning by a law-enforcement officer."[^maj-31] Because of the adoption by Congress of Rule 5 (a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and this Court's effectuation of that Rule in McNabb v. United States , 318 U. S.…