Officer Hits Driver, Admits Fault, But Police Won’t Pay Leaving Him With The Bill

Cincinnati police changed their story, admitting an officer caused the accident and still haven’t repaired the damaged car

It’s not just criminals who can wreck your property—sometimes, the police do it too. One man in Cincinnati learned this the hard way, claiming that not only did the police damage his car when they weren’t even responding to an emergency, but after admitting fault, they changed their story and denied responsibility. And after nine months of back-and-forth trying to get a resolution, the department decided to wash their hands of it.

Read: 3 Maryland Drivers Racked Up Over 330 Tickets Yet Still Keep Driving

Officers often have immunity for damage to personal property if they’re in the midst of their duties. That means that citizens are responsible for repairing whatever the cops damage. Sometimes though, officers admit their mistakes and take responsibility, which is allegedly what originally happened in this case.

A Misguided Turn Leads to Damage

David Emery spoke to WCPO about the incident, explaining that as he was turning onto a street, a Cincinnati police officer ran a stop sign and nearly hit him. The officer, who reportedly wasn’t using his emergency lights, initially missed Emery—but then, for reasons unknown, he put the police car in reverse and hit him anyway. The accident report confirmed the officer was at fault and made it clear he wasn’t responding to any emergency.

Despite the officer seemingly being at fault, it took Emery a staggering nine months and countless phone calls just to get any kind of response about his claim. When he finally heard back, the state had conveniently changed its tune. They now claimed that the officer was responding to a call and therefore, they weren’t liable for the damage.

Authorities insist that this is all above board when it comes to the law. According to WCPO, “A letter sent to Emery said the officer was responding to a call for service. It also said the department is ‘sensitive’ to his loss, but under Ohio Revised Code, they are not liable to repair the damages.” That’s right, since now the officer was responding to a call for service, it’s all totally good!

What About Those Who Can’t Afford to Fix This?

Even so, Emery says he’s not even mad at CPD – he’s just worried about how this whole thing went down. “I’m very fortunate and happy that I can handle this financially, but I’m certain that there are certain people that couldn’t,” he said.

And that’s the real issue here. Not everyone has the financial cushion to handle a situation like this, and when the department shifts blame or simply ignores its responsibilities, it’s the average citizen who ends up footing the bill.