Opinion ID: 202546
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the excessive force claims

Text: 23 We turn next to Calvi's excessive force claims. Because the City of Rockland defendants are situated somewhat differently from the Knox County defendants, we divide this portion of our analysis into two segments.
24 Counts 1 and 4 of Calvi's complaint allege in substance that the Rockland police officers used excessive force when handcuffing Calvi. In order to prevail on such a claim, a plaintiff must establish that the defendant's actions in handcuffing her were objectively unreasonable in light of the circumstances and the facts known to the officer at the time. See Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 397, 109 S.Ct. 1865, 104 L.Ed.2d 443 (1989); Isom v. Town of Warren, 360 F.3d 7, 10-11 (1st Cir.2004); see also Alexis v. McDonald's Rests. of Mass., Inc., 67 F.3d 341, 352 (1st Cir.1995). This showing must take into account the reasonableness of the officer's actions, viewed from the perspective of a prototypical officer confronted with the same or similar circumstances. Graham, 490 U.S. at 396, 109 S.Ct. 1865. All of the attendant facts must be considered. See id. Police work is often carried out in fast-moving and poorly defined situations, so it is especially unfair to judge an officer's actions in hindsight. See id. at 396-97, 109 S.Ct. 1865. 25 Applying this framework, it is readily apparent that the entry of summary judgment in Sergeant McLaughlin's favor is unimpugnable. There is not a shred of evidence that McLaughlin had anything to do with Calvi's handcuffing. His mere presence at the scene, without more, does not by some mysterious alchemy render him legally responsible under section 1983 for the actions of a fellow officer. See Gaudreault v. Municipality of Salem, 923 F.2d 203, 207 n. 3 (1st Cir.1990). 3 26 The case against Smith is slightly more robust—but not robust enough to fend off summary judgment. Smith was responding to news that a civilian had been brandishing a knife in a dangerous manner. Even if Smith knew that the knife-wielder, Calvi, had a hand deformity, there is no evidence that he applied any excessive force. Standard police practice called for cuffing an arrestee's hands behind her back and Smith's decision not to deviate from this practice was a judgment call, pure and simple. He handcuffed Calvi in the customary manner and kept her in handcuffs for no more than the time reasonably necessary to transport her to the lockup. 27 That is the end of the story. The totality of the circumstances affords no legally sufficient basis for a finding that Smith's handcuffing of Calvi represented a constitutionally proscribed use of excessive force. Cf. Jackson v. City of Bremerton, 268 F.3d 646, 653 (9th Cir.2001) (concluding that officer did not use excessive force in pushing suspect to the ground and kneeling on her back, notwithstanding the suspect having complained of preexisting injuries). Accordingly, the district court did not err in granting summary judgment for Smith. 28 In addition to her claims against the two individual members of the Rockland police department, Calvi attempts to hold the City of Rockland responsible for the officers' alleged use of excessive force. She argues that Rockland should be held liable under section 1983 because it failed adequately to train its police force. 4 This argument is unavailing. 29 With respect to an allegation of failure to train, liability ordinarily may be found where the municipality fails to provide adequate training notwithstanding an obvious likelihood that inadequate training will result in the violation of constitutional rights. Whitfield v. Meléndez-Rivera, 431 F.3d 1, 10 (1st Cir.2005). Showing that a single individual received inadequate training is insufficient for municipal liability to attach; the training program as a whole must be found faulty. See City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378, 390-91, 109 S.Ct. 1197, 103 L.Ed.2d 412 (1989). 30 Here, Calvi has not presented a scintilla of evidence demonstrating that Rockland's police force, overall, is inadequately trained in how to handcuff disabled suspects. The only record evidence is to the contrary: Rockland's officers must attend the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, and training in arresting individuals with physical disabilities is part of the Academy's core curriculum. 31 We need not probe this point too deeply for—regardless of the training afforded or the lack of training—it is only when a governmental unit's employee inflicts a constitutional injury that the governmental unit can be held liable under section 1983. See Evans v. Avery, 100 F.3d 1033, 1039 (1st Cir.1996). It follows that the inadequate training of a police officer cannot be a basis for municipal liability under section 1983 unless a constitutional injury has been inflicted by the officer or officers whose training was allegedly inferior. See Young v. City of Prov. ex rel. Napolitano, 404 F.3d 4, 25-26 (1st Cir.2005). 32 That ends this aspect of the matter. As explained above, Calvi has utterly failed to generate a trialworthy issue as to the use of excessive force in the handcuffing process by either Smith or McLaughlin. Since no Rockland police officer inflicted a constitutional injury on Calvi, she cannot hold the City liable under section 1983 for its officers' alleged lack of training.
33 Calvi claims that Knox County and its officers should be held liable because of excessive force used during booking (and, especially, during fingerprinting). This claim need not detain us. 34 Calvi never sued the officer who actually fingerprinted her. Instead, her excessive force claim is directed at Gracie (who, although a supervisory officer, was a mere observer of the fingerprinting). Absent evidence of participation, concerted action, or at least culpable knowledge, one officer cannot be held jointly liable under section 1983 for another officer's use of excessive force. See, e.g., Gaudreault, 923 F.2d at 207 n. 3; see also Monell v. Dep't of Social Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 692-94, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978) (holding that respondeat superior is inapplicable in section 1983 cases). There is no such evidence in this record. Thus, the district court did not err in entering summary judgment in Gracie's favor. 35 This leaves the claim against Knox County. 5 The facts of record, viewed in the light most favorable to Calvi, demonstrate that Knox County had in place an appropriate policy for fingerprinting disabled persons. Even if that policy was not followed in this instance, as Calvi alleges, that omission, standing alone, would not amount to a constitutional violation attributable to the county. See St. Hilaire v. City of Laconia, 71 F.3d 20, 29 (1st Cir.1995). 36 There is, moreover, no evidence of any pervasive failure to train county law enforcement officers in the implementation of the county's fingerprinting policy. For that matter, there is no evidence that the officer who actually fingerprinted Calvi lacked proper training. 37 To say more on this point would be supererogatory. The upshot is that the district court correctly concluded that the Knox County defendants were entitled to summary judgment.