GILBERTSONInvestigations Inc. (239) 571-1840
Use of Force
Self-Defense
False Arrest & Search
Criminal-Defense Support
Police Misconduct
Deficient Investigations
Failure to Train & Monell
Agency Training
From the record $640,000 jury verdict, with the jury crediting the expert testimony. Hunter v. City of Federal Way, W.D. Wash.
Retention $9,000 flat fee · discovery review and the written report Full case history Washington casework · The deepest state record Florida practice · Based in Naples For Retaining Counsel The Library · Guides for counsel
The practice The team · Three experts, over 110 years Professor Gregory Gilbertson (Ret.) Sheriff Robert Snaza · Independent consultant FBI Special Agent Christopher Holland (Ret.) · Independent consultant Law enforcement expert witness · What the discipline covers
Use of Force · Officer-Involved Shootings

Officer-Involved
Shootings

Direct line: (239) 571-1840  ·  GregoryGilbertson@proton.me

Attorney and law-firm inquiries only

A police shooting is decided in seconds and litigated for years. The analysis reconstructs those seconds from the record: what the officer knew, the threat as it actually presented, and whether deadly force was consistent with national standards and the agency's own policy and training.

Discuss a matter Call (239) 571-1840
Use of ForceUse of Force overviewChokeholds & RestraintsTasers, Canine & Less-LethalSWAT & High-Risk OperationsMental-Health & Crisis Encounters
The Scope

What this covers.

Within this engagement

  • Police shootings and deadly-force analysis
  • Wrongful-death cases involving police force
  • Shooting at or from moving vehicles
  • Immediate-threat assessment and severity-of-crime analysis
  • Objective reasonableness under Graham v. Connor
  • Use-of-force reporting and administrative review of the shooting
How it is analyzed

Body-worn and dash-camera video, 911 and CAD records, use-of-force reports, witness statements, the involved officer's training and disciplinary history, and agency deadly-force policy, reconstructed frame by frame on the totality of the circumstances.

Engagement terms and the published fee schedule: For Retaining Counsel →

From the Record

Related casework.

Wrongful death

The Che Taylor Matter · City of Seattle

Retained December 2019

Report identified substandard practices; counsel credits a $1.5 million settlement.

Jury verdict

Estate of Alfontish Cockerham v. City of Chicago

Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

Police practices and use of force expert in a videotaped officer-involved shooting; $1.18 million jury judgment per retaining counsel.

Case accounts as published by retaining counsel. No result is promised for any other matter.

From the Library

Working references for this practice area.

Guides for retaining counsel, written from the same record this analysis reads.

The ProtocolHow an Officer-Involved Shooting Is InvestigatedRead the guideThe StatementOfficer Statements After a Use of Force: Timing, Sequence and the RecordRead the guideDeadly ForceTennessee v. Garner and the Deadly Force StandardRead the guideForce OptionsForce Options and Decision ModelsRead the guideThe StandardGraham v. Connor, Explained for LitigatorsRead the guideThe LensThe Totality of the Circumstances in Force AnalysisRead the guide

The Library, in full

“His insights, analysis, reports, and trial testimony are always persuasive.”
James Bible, Attorney at Law · Seattle, WA
Questions

Before the record is sent.

What makes a police-shooting opinion hold up?
It is built strictly from the record: the video, the dispatch timeline, the reports and statements, and the officer's training, measured against Graham v. Connor and national deadly-force standards rather than hindsight. Where medical or ballistics questions arise, qualified experts in those disciplines are deferred to.
What does retention cost?
A non-refundable $9,000 flat fee covering discovery review and the written expert report, with a bullet-point outline approved with counsel before writing begins. The full published schedule is on the For Counsel page.
Retain

Send a shooting record.

Attorney and law-firm inquiries only. Conflicts are checked before anything substantive, and you will hear about a conflict immediately.

Officer-involved shooting inquiry

For counsel with a shooting matter, plaintiff or defense.

Inquiry sent.

You will hear back directly. If the matter is urgent, call (239) 571-1840.

(239) 571-1840Direct line, Naples, Florida GregoryGilbertson@proton.meDirect email, prefilled for this matter.
Nationwide practiceRetained in 42 states and D.C. · Based in Naples, FL

Conflicts are checked before any substantive discussion. Please do not send privileged material with a first inquiry; after retention the record is exchanged on physical media. Gregory consults for attorneys and their staff only, and does not provide legal advice or attorney referrals to individuals.

Back to Use of Force