Government officials are personally liable for damages when, acting under color of law, they deprive an individual of “any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution.”
42 U.S.C. § 1983. The “qualified immunity” doctrine has arisen as a judicially-created counterbalance to this threat of civil punishment. The defense affords not only protection from liability, but, in addition, freedom from suit. This basic principle, which allows police some breathing space in the performance of their duties, informs our decision to reverse the district court's order denying summary judgment to Sergeant Walter Kuntz of the New Haven Police Department.