Oklahoma Police Brutality Lawyer
In Oklahoma, state and federal laws protect residents from police brutality and misconduct. If you have experienced police brutality firsthand or have lost a loved one due to police misconduct in Oklahoma, Police Brutality Center can connect you with a civil rights lawyer to help you pursue justice.
Attorneys that work with Police Brutality Center may be able to assist you.
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Content Last Updated: March 16, 2026
Oklahoma has a long history of police brutality and misconduct, and law enforcement conduct in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and across the state has a significant impact on residents’ lives. Victims of police brutality in Oklahoma have legal protections under state and federal law, and may have the right to take civil legal action against police departments or officers who engage in misconduct.
Police Brutality Center works to connect victims with experienced police brutality lawyers to navigate the complex legal landscape of civil rights claims.
Why Work With An Oklahoma Police Brutality Lawyer?
Working with an experienced Oklahoma police brutality lawyer who is familiar with civil rights law and police misconduct cases is crucial to a successful lawsuit. An attorney can investigate the misconduct, gather key evidence, negotiate a potential settlement, and represent you in court to hold the police department or officers involved accountable for their actions.
These cases can be challenging, as the doctrine of qualified immunity often shields officers from accountability, but an experienced civil rights lawyer can help you build the strongest possible case against them.
Connect With Our Experienced Attorneys
Police Brutality Center is proud to partner with Alex Straus, Chair of the Civil Rights Department at Milberg PLLC, and Solomon Radner at Radner Law Group to help victims of civil rights abuses.
Filing a Civil Rights Claim for Police Brutality in Oklahoma
Filing a civil rights claim for police brutality in Oklahoma can be a long, complicated process, so it is important to work with an experienced Oklahoma police brutality lawyer to ensure you file correctly and do not miss deadlines.
Before you can file a police brutality lawsuit in Oklahoma, the Governmental Tort Claims Act requires you to file a Notice of Tort Claim within one year of the incident for injuries caused by a public entity or employee. Once a Notice of Tort Claim is filed, a municipality has 90 days to review the claim. If the claim is denied, the claimant has 180 days to file a lawsuit—although there are some exceptions for cases of wrongful death, incapacity for injury, and other limited circumstances.
After filing a notice of lawsuit and retaining an attorney, the case will proceed through the discovery phase, settlement negotiations, and a potential jury trial. In a successful case, you may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and more, though Oklahoma does not allow punitive damages in suits against the government.
Police Misconduct and Civil Rights Laws in Oklahoma
Police brutality and misconduct in Oklahoma can take many forms, including the following:
State and federal law protect Oklahomans against such misconduct. The Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution prohibit unreasonable searches and seizures, cruel and unusual punishment, and unjust legal processes.
Under Oklahoma law, excessive force includes any physical force that exceeds the degree of physical force permitted by a law enforcement agency’s policies or applicable law. The law also specifies that police officers who use excessive force are subject to the same criminal laws as any other citizen in the state, and that if an officer witnesses another officer using excessive force, they must report it to the officer’s immediate supervisor.
Additionally, racial profiling is explicitly prohibited under Oklahoma law.
History of Police Brutality and Misconduct in Oklahoma
Oklahoma has a history of police misconduct, particularly involving people with disabilities. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had reasonable cause to believe that Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, and the Oklahoma City police discriminate against behaviorally disabled individuals. The investigation found that Oklahoma unnecessarily institutionalizes adults with disabilities and discriminates against them when providing emergency response services. The DOJ observed that people who called 911 for a behavioral health emergency were routinely met by armed police, even when no public safety issue was present.
In 2025, nearly three dozen people were killed by police in Oklahoma. Notably, police in the Sooner State have a history of targeting people of color with excessive force. In September 2016, a Tulsa police officer shot and killed 40-year-old Terence Crutcher, an unarmed Black motorist who was standing near his vehicle on the side of the street.
Another Tulsa man was killed by police during a botched sting operation in 2015. Eric Harris was reportedly unarmed when he was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell a handgun to an undercover officer, but a deputy shot him anyway. In 2018, Harris’s family received a $6 million settlement from the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.
Notable Oklahoma Police Brutality Cases
Murder of Jared Lakey – 2019
In a civil case regarding the 2019 death of 28-year-old Jared Lakey, a federal jury awarded Lakey’s family $10 million for damage to be paid by the officers responsible for his death. The jury found former officers Brandon Dingman and Joshua Taylor tased Lakey 53 times in four minutes while trying to restrain him. They are both imprisoned for murder, though the Carter County Sheriff’s Office was cleared of liability.
Jeffrey Scott Smith Conviction – 2025
In March 2025, a federal judge sentenced former Savanna, Oklahoma, police officer Jeffrey Scott Smith to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop with his body and dash cam off in 2024. The case represented the first sexual assault conviction and sentence under the 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
Edmond Police Use of Force Lawsuit – 2025
In June 2025, a woman filed a lawsuit against Edmond Police Department Sgt. Nathan Fountain, the City of Edmond, and multiple county officials over alleged civil rights violations that occurred while she was in police custody the year before. Fountain is said to have shoved the handcuffed woman to the ground, breaking her leg in the Oklahoma County Jail.
Two months after the lawsuit was filed, Fountain responded to a house fire and shot a man allegedly experiencing psychosis. Attorneys said Edmond took no action to discipline Fountain or other officers with a history of excessive force.
Contact an Experienced Oklahoma Police Brutality Lawyer
If you or a loved one has experienced police brutality or misconduct in Oklahoma, you are not alone, and Police Brutality Center can help. Our mission is to ensure justice for victims by connecting them with civil rights attorneys who have experience handling police brutality cases.
Police brutality is a human rights violation, and victims deserve justice. Get legal help today.