If you were injured by a police officer or a correctional officer, you are entitled to collect monetary damages if unreasonable force was used against you.  Among the factors to consider are the following: 1. The seriousness of the crime 2. Whether you reasonably appeared to pose an immediate threat to the officer’s safety 3. Whether you were actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest.  An officer who makes or attempts to make an arrest is not required to retreat or cease from his or her efforts because of the resistance or threatened resistance of the person being arrested. Reasonable force is considered from the perspective of what would have appeared to be reasonable to a person in the officer’s position under the same or similar conditions.  In all but the most high profile cases, you will need to file a lawsuit to prove your case.  Once a lawsuit is filed, your lawyer has the power to compel the police to produce records, video, audio, photographs, and other key pieces of evidence.