GILBERTSONInvestigations Inc. (239) 571-1840
Use of Force
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Criminal-Defense Support
Police Misconduct
Deficient Investigations
Failure to Train & Monell
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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
Gilbertson Investigations Inc. · False Arrest · Detention · Search and Seizure

What Officers Knew,
and When They Knew It

Stops · Detention · Arrests · Searches · Warrants

False-arrest and search-and-seizure opinions turn on timing: what the officers actually knew at each moment, and what reasonable suspicion or probable-cause practices required of them before the stop, the cuffs, or the entry. The record answers that question; the analysis shows it.

Discuss a matter Call (239) 571-1840

Attorney and law-firm inquiries only

Practice areasUse of ForceFalse Arrest & SearchPolice MisconductFailure to Train & MonellDeficient InvestigationsSelf-DefenseCriminal-Defense SupportAgency Training
The Scope

What the analysis covers.

Individual engagements are scoped with counsel. Go deeper: Stops, Frisks & Detention · Probable-Cause Timing · Warrants & No-Knock Entries.

Stops and detention

  • Investigative stops and stop-and-frisk procedures
  • Reasonable-suspicion analysis
  • Unlawful and prolonged detention
  • False imprisonment

Arrest practices

  • Probable-cause-related police practices
  • Arrest procedures and warrantless arrests
  • Mistaken-identity and wrong-address arrests

Searches and seizures

  • Searches of people, vehicles and homes
  • Searches of real and personal property
  • Seizure of weapons, contraband and property
  • Warrant preparation and execution
  • Knock-and-announce procedures and no-knock entries

Retained in plaintiff false-arrest cases and in the defense of officers accused of false arrest.

The Engagement

Same discipline, every case.

01 · Conflicts & scope

Conflict check and a written scope with retaining counsel before substantive discussion.

02 · Retention

Retainer of $8,000–$9,000 covering 29–33 hours at $275 per hour.

03 · Record & report

The complete record against national standards; most reports finish within the retainer.

04 · Testimony

Deposition, hearings and trial, nationwide from RSW.

Full fee schedule and counsel FAQ: For Retaining Counsel →

From the Record

Related casework.

Federal civil rights

Alvarez v. King County

No. C16-0721RAJ (W.D. Wash.)

Police practices analysis in federal civil rights litigation.

Open the case files

Case accounts as published by retaining counsel. Outcomes depend on their facts; no result is promised for any other matter.

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

Asked before the record is sent.

What does a false-arrest opinion examine?
The information actually available to officers at each decision point, measured against reasonable-suspicion and probable-cause practices, agency policy, and national standards: what officers knew, when they knew it, and what accepted police practice required before the arrest.
Does the practice cover search-and-seizure questions?
Yes. Searches of people, vehicles, homes and property, seizures of weapons and property, warrant preparation and execution, knock-and-announce procedures, and no-knock entries.
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 an arrest or search record.

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

False arrest & search inquiry

For counsel litigating a stop, an arrest, or a search.

Inquiry sent.

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