Opinion ID: 2998624
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: defendants Pesci and Clauge

Text: Neither Chief Pesci nor Officer Clauge were directly involved in Teresa’s transportation to the Galesburg police station. For liability to attach to an officer’s failure to intervene, that officer must have (1) had reason to know that a citizen was unjustifiably arrested, and (2) had a realistic opportunity to intervene to prevent that harm from occurring. Yang v. Hardin, 37 F.3d 282, 285 (7th Cir. 1994). Teresa’s brief admits that “Clauge, who was Sheppard and Riley’s supervisor, emphasized to them that they should request that Ms. Sornberger come to the police station voluntarily and that they should take her from the house only if she agreed.” Appellants’ Br. at 12. Clauge’s instruction cannot be read as authorizing an arrest. He therefore had no reason to know that Teresa would ever be arrested without probable cause. On this record, Chief Pesci had even less involvement in Teresa’s arrest and virtually no opportunity to intervene. He had remained outside of Scott’s parents’ home while the search for the computer was being executed. Chief Pesci’s only interaction with Teresa came once Teresa had given her oral confession at the station house, when, as far as Pesci could tell, she was under lawful arrest. The district court therefore properly held that, on the record before it, Chief Pesci and Officer Clauge could not be found liable for Teresa’s false arrest.