What can an officer become liable for?

• A. Assault
• B. Negligence in everyday tasks
• C. False arrest
• D. Negligently letting a prisoner escape

Answer: (D)

Officers have a duty to maintain custody and protect the public and detainees. Civil liability can arise when that duty is breached and harm or risk results. If a prisoner escapes because an officer is negligent—failing to secure, monitor, or supervise—the officer’s breach directly leads to the escape. That satisfies the basic elements of liability: a duty, a breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to the escape, and damages or risk created by the escape. While what-if scenarios like assault or false arrest involve rights violations too, they rely on proving intentional wrongdoing or unlawful detention. The scenario of negligently letting a prisoner escape most clearly fits the duty‑breach‑causation framework and thus is the strongest basis for liability in this context.