October 25, 2007 10:57AM # Police ‘CYA’ Reports By [Tim Lynch](https://www.cato.org/people/tim-lynch) --- SHARE Police force [pregnant woman to the pavement](http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3774390) at gunpoint. When they realize there will be no arrest because the woman is innocent, one officer is overheard saying that he’ll prepare a report to “cover their asses.” Listening to the audiotape, one gets the impression that this is not the first time the officer has filed a CYA report. The truth is that police misconduct and deception are [much](https://www.cato.org/2007/07/26/fbis-argument-is-absurd/) [more](https://www.cato.org/2006/09/25/the-cato-policy-analyst-who-may-have-saved-a-mans-life/) [common](https://www.cato.org/2007/04/27/corruption-in-atlanta-police-dept-widespread/) than most people realize. Something to keep in mind when you encounter the ‘ol “well, if haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about.” Also something to keep in mind if you are called for jury service. Be skeptical. Look for strong evidence. Be fair. ##### Related Tags [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).