Protecting The Civil Rights Of People Injured By The Police In The Midlands And Low Country

An officer hurt you, or someone you love. Maybe it was a traffic stop that went wrong. Maybe it was your own front door. Now you’re injured, scared, and wondering who would ever believe you over a badge. You aren’t the first person to feel that way. Police misconduct cases can be won in South Carolina. They’re also built differently from a car wreck case, and the evidence goes stale fast. Wilson Law Group, LLC represents people across the state who were injured by law enforcement. The consultation is free.

What counts as police misconduct in South Carolina?

It’s any time an officer uses the power of the job to violate your rights. Excessive force is the most common. That can be a chokehold, a takedown on someone already cuffed, a taser used as punishment, or a shooting that never should have happened. Misconduct also covers being arrested with no real reason, searched without a lawful basis, or held longer than the law allows.

Is excessive force the same as police brutality?

They overlap, but they aren’t the same thing. “Police brutality” is what people call it. It isn’t a legal claim by that name in South Carolina. The claim is usually that the officer used more force than the situation called for. A lawyer looks at what you were doing, what the officer knew, and whether the force matched the threat. We’ve written more about why officers cross that line.

Who is responsible when an officer hurts you?

Usually there are two paths. They run side by side.

The first is federal. A law called Section 1983 says anyone acting “under color of” state law who takes away your constitutional rights is liable to you. “Under color of” law just means using the authority the badge gives them.

The second is state law. The South Carolina Tort Claims Act covers injuries caused by government employees. Under that Act, the agency or county usually answers for the officer, not the officer personally. The exception is conduct like actual malice or intent to harm.

Which path fits? It depends on your facts. Often it’s both.

What evidence matters most, and how fast does it disappear?

It disappears faster than most people think. Body camera and dash camera footage can be overwritten. Jail video gets recycled. Dispatch audio has retention limits. Witnesses move and forget. Here’s what a lawyer tries to lock down first:

1. Body cam, dash cam, and jail video
2. Dispatch recordings and incident reports
3. Photos of your injuries, taken the same week
4. Names and numbers of anyone who saw it
5. Your medical records from the ER onward

Write down what happened today, while it’s fresh. Don’t post about it online.

How long do you have to file?

Not as long as most people assume. The state claim and the federal claim run on separate clocks, and they aren’t the same length. Exceptions can shorten or stretch them. Please don’t guess at your deadline. Talk to a lawyer about your specific dates.

Why talk to Wilson Law Group?

Our two attorneys, James Christopher Wilson and Lauren B. Dangerfield, bring more than three decades of combined experience. We work out of Bamberg and Orangeburg, and we take cases across South Carolina. One of our published results came from a woman shot in her own home by county officers. Every officer first denied liability. We took it anyway.

Past results don’t predict any future case. They do show we’ll stand across the table from a sheriff’s department.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sue the police if I was never charged?

You may be able to. A claim is about what the officer did to you, not whether you were charged. A lawyer can review it.

Can I sue if the charges against me are still pending?

Talk to a lawyer before you say anything publicly. A pending charge affects timing and strategy.

What if I saw police brutality happen to someone else?

Your account could help that person. Read what to do if you witness police brutality.

Do I need a lawyer who handles civil rights cases?

It helps a great deal. These claims follow rules that ordinary injury cases don’t. Experience with both matters.

Talk to a South Carolina police misconduct lawyer today

You don’t have to carry this alone. Wilson Law Group, LLC offers a free consultation with no obligation. Call 803-245-7799 or reach us online. There’s no fee unless we recover for you. The filing deadline may look far off. Still, call right away. Camera footage gets overwritten, witnesses move on, and evidence needs to be preserved early.

This page is general information about South Carolina and federal law, not legal advice. Reading it doesn’t create an attorney-client relationship.