The officer said he was responding to a house fire. Just before the accident, the report of the fire had been canceled, records show. The officer received a radio call that he was no longer needed at the scene. In all three cases, the victims said they were told at the accident scene that the city would pay all damages. The liability of municipalities is a complex area of the law best left to attorneys.
Officers often disregard the rule, police files show.
The duty of investigating crash claims is rotated among officers assigned to the legal bureau. From 1991 until this month, most cases were decided by Officers Constance Louthen, Yvonne Jordan or Melanie Wood. Division policy prohibits officers from deciding immunity claims, Chief Jackson said. The firm represents nearly half of Ohio's 88 counties and dozens of townships and municipalities. Suter said state courts have ruled that immunity applies to police calls involving homicides, shootings, robberies, burglaries, reports of an officer in trouble, and pursuits of a dangerous suspect.