GILBERTSONInvestigations Inc. (239) 571-1840
Use of Force
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From the record $640,000 jury verdict, with the jury crediting the expert testimony. Hunter v. City of Federal Way, W.D. Wash.
Retention $8,000–$9,000 retainer · 29–33 hours at $275/hr Full case history For Retaining Counsel
Use of Force · SWAT & High-Risk Operations

SWAT & High-Risk
Operations

A tactical operation is won or lost on the planning that preceded it. The analysis starts well before the door: the intelligence the team actually had, the threat assessment and risk matrix that justified a tactical response, the operational plan and briefing, and whether the force used during the entry matched what the plan and national standards contemplated.

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The Scope

What this covers.

Within this engagement

  • SWAT and tactical-team deployment decisions
  • High-risk warrant service and operational planning
  • Threat assessment and risk-matrix justification
  • Operations briefings, assignments and contingency planning
  • Dynamic entry, containment and callout alternatives
  • Force applied during tactical operations
  • Command decisions and on-scene supervision of the operation
How it is analyzed

The operational plan and briefing materials, the threat assessment and any risk matrix, warrant paperwork and the intelligence it rested on, entry and body-worn video, after-action and use-of-force reports, team training records, and the agency's tactical policies, measured against generally accepted tactical standards on the totality of the circumstances.

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

“Professor Gilbertson has twice served as my expert in search and seizure and false arrest cases. His analysis and opinions are always spot on.”
Darryl Parker, Attorney at Law · Seattle, WA
Questions

Before the record is sent.

Is a SWAT case about the entry or the planning?
Usually the planning. By the time a team is at the door, the decisions that matter most — whether a tactical response was justified at all, what intelligence supported it, what alternatives to a dynamic entry were considered, and how the operation was supervised — have already been made and documented. That paper trail is where the analysis lives.
What does retention cost?
A non-refundable retainer of $8,000–$9,000 covering 29–33 hours of discovery review, report writing and conferences at $275 per hour. Most reports are completed within the retainer. The full published schedule is on the For Counsel page.
Retain

Send a tactical-operation record.

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

SWAT & high-risk operation inquiry

For counsel with a tactical-operation or high-risk warrant matter.

Inquiry sent.

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