Police departments should be held strictly liable (or practically so) for conduct of officers under the color of authority. It&#x27;s no different than holding a club responsible for a bouncer using excessive force. When your organization&#x27;s basic business involves putting your employees in sensitive sorts of contact with the public, you&#x27;re creating risk and misconduct is foreseeable.<p>Civil liability, unlike criminal liability, isn&#x27;t about punishing those who did something wrong. Its about compensating wronged persons in a way that efficiently allocates incentives. Employers are usually the ones that can most efficiently exercise precaution to avoid abuse of authority by employees.