Opinion ID: 1699223
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Claim of the City to Substantive Immunity from Suit for the Act of the Policeman

Text: The City also claims substantive immunity from suit for the act of the policeman. Substantive immunity, as it applies to police services however, immunizes only decisions of the governing authorities of a municipality not to deploy police officers or not to deploy more police officers for a particular service. See Calogrides v. City of Mobile, 475 So.2d 560 (Ala.1985); Garrett v. City of Mobile, 481 So.2d 376 (Ala.1985); and Nichols v. Town of Mount Vernon, 504 So.2d 732 (Ala.1987). Substantive immunity does not immunize a municipality from vicarious liability for the tortious act of a particular police officer. Borders v. City of Huntsville, 875 So.2d 1168, 1183 (Ala.2003), and City of Birmingham v. Benson, 631 So.2d 902, 905 (Ala.1993): In Calogrides v. City of Mobile, 475 So.2d 560 (Ala.1985), and Garrett v. City of Mobile, 481 So.2d 376 (Ala.1985), this Court found substantive immunity in a police context. Calogrides and Garrett arose out of the same event (a fireworks display at Ladd Stadium during which time a gang of youths attacked individuals in the large crowd). The thrust of the plaintiffs' claims was that Mobile was negligent in deciding to deploy only 82 police officers to Ladd Stadium for the fireworks display. This Court held that liability could not be predicated on that basis, because there was only a finite number of officers on Mobile's police force, so no individual could expect complete protection. Garrett, 481 So.2d at 377. This Court has upheld the liability of a city for the negligence of a police officer who was on the scene, where the only question was whether the officer had acted reasonably under the circumstances. Luker v. City of Brantley, 520 So.2d 517 (1987); Tyler v. City of Enterprise, 577 So.2d 876 (Ala.1991); Seals v. City of Columbia, 575 So.2d 1061 (Ala.1991). There is no way, under the facts of this case, that the imposition of liability can be reasonably calculated to materially thwart the City's legitimate efforts to provide public services. Policy considerations supporting immunity do not come into play when a policeman is, in fact on the scene and in a position to control an aggressor. The question then becomes one of whether the officer acted reasonably or acted negligently. (emphasis in the original); see Howard v. City of Atmore, supra; Williams v. Crook, 741 So.2d 1074 (Ala.1999), and Jackson v. City of Florence, 294 Ala. 592, 320 So.2d 68 (1975). Vicarious liability is based on the principle of respondeat superior, which is supported by sound policy: [Respondeat superior liability] seems fully justified because (1) it tends to provide a spur toward accident prevention; (2) it tends to provide greater assurance of compensation for accident victims; and (3) at the same time it tends to provide reasonable assurance that, like other costs, accident losses will be broadly and equitably distributed among the beneficiaries of the enterprises that entail them. Fowler V. Harper, Fleming James, Jr., and Oscar S. Gray, The Law of Torts § 26.5, at 21 (2d ed.1986) (footnotes omitted).