Building Police Misconduct Cases: FTCA Fundamentals & Section 1983

EVENT DESCRIPTION

The National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) will host a two-day intensive training in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 23–24, 2026, focused on holding state and federal law enforcement accountable through civil rights litigation.

Sessions will cover the fundamentals of Section 1983 litigation, suing ICE and other federal law enforcement officers under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), and current challenges and opportunities in law enforcement accountability. 

Audience & Learning Goals:
Designed for attorneys who are newer to police misconduct and accountability work, the training will provide practical tools for investigating cases, identifying actionable misconduct, drafting complaints, and developing effective litigation strategies. Although the training is primarily designed for attorneys, we encourage legal workers, law students, and advocates working alongside impacted communities to join us as well. Many of the skills, legal frameworks, and strategies discussed will be relevant to anyone supporting accountability-focused work.

The training will also include a session on election protection and legal responses to law enforcement presence at the polls.

Panels include:
Current Landscape of Federal Law Enforcement Accountability 
Common FTCA Legal Issues 
FTCA Actionable Conduct: Use of force,  stops and on-the-street detentions  
FTCA Actionable Conduct: Detention-related claims

Confirmed Speakers: 
Jon Feinberg, Partner at Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg & Lin LLP
Trina Realmuto, Executive Director at National Immigration Litigation Alliance
Zack Greenamyre, Partner at Mitchell Shapiro Greenamyre & Funt LLP
Jeff Filipovits, Partner at Filipovits & Smith
James Cook, Attorney at Burris, Nisenbaum, Curry & Lacy
Keisha James, Staff Attorney at NPAP
Eliana Machefsky, Staff Attorney at NPAP
Lauren Bonds, Executive Director at NPAP

DATE and TIME

Thursday, July, 23, 2026
Federal Law Enforcement Accountability: FTCA Litigation & Claims Involving ICE

• 6:00am - 2:00PM PST
• 7:00am - 3:00PM MST
• 8:00am - 4:00PM CST
• 9:00am - 5:00pm EST

Friday, July, 24, 2026
Federal Law Enforcement Accountability: FTCA Litigation & Claims Involving ICE

• 6:00am - 12:00PM PST
• 7:00am - 1:00PM MST
• 8:00am - 2:00PM CST
• 9:00am - 3:00pm EST

ACCOMMODATIONS

We have secured a hotel room block for attendees at the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort. If you plan to stay at the conference hotel, please make your reservation using the link below.

Please note that the hotel block rate will expire on July 13th, or earlier if the block sells out.

Reserve your room here:  https://book.passkey.com/e/51286093

LOCATION

This event is being held in-person and will also be recorded. The event location is below:

ArtServe (1350 E Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304)

A NOTE ABOUT TIME ZONES

Any time listed in this registration that does not include a time zone can be assumed to be in Central Standard Time (CST).

ACCREDITATION

This event is accredited for 9.5 general credit hours with the State Bar of California (NPAP is a multiple activity provider with the State Bar of CA).

Most attendees should be able to self-report for CLE credit to their own state bars, and in instances where a state bar requires that the event sponsor report on behalf of attendees, NPAP is happy to assist.

RECORDING

The event will be recorded in its entirety and recordings of each panel will be available to attendees after the event. However, attendees will only be eligible for CLE credit for the portions of the event that they attended live, either in-person or virtually. Retroactive viewing of recordings will not be eligible for CLE credit, as NPAP does not have a means of validating attendee participation in this circumstance.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

This event is free for all attendees.

ACCESSIBILITY

It is our priority to ensure accessibility for all attendees - please contact KG at [email protected] if you have specific inquiries regarding the in-person experience.