Activists want qualified immunity for police dropped, allowing cops to be sued By Veronica Meadows and David Komer online producer Published Activists want qualified immunity for police to be dropped,, as part of reform As controversy surrounding police reform continues, several law enforcement leaders across southeast Michigan are speaking out in support of qualified immunity. It protects officers from some civil litigation, but not criminal prosecutions. "If you’re in a life-threatening situation you don’t want the police officer to hesitate and wait for it to be over, you want them to intervene," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. "Qualified immunity is to protect the deputy, the officer, the individual, in those split-second decisions when they’re inside all the protocols, and all the policies, but there may be a tragic outcome."