Devon M. Jacob

Devon M. Jacob has spent the past decade litigating federal civil rights cases. His primary practice is focused in governmental & municipal liability, police professional liability, civil rights, employment practices liability, and litigation. He routinely handles complex federal litigation involving serious injury or death with exposures in excess of $1 million. Mr. Jacob has litigated many high profile civil rights and employment law cases, including, but not limited to, the following:

• M. Rebecca Downing v. County of York & H. Stanley Rebert: a federal employment law case resulting from York County, Pennsylvania District Attorney Stan Rebert's decision to unlawfully terminate Chief County Detective Becky Downing's employment after she complained about unethical and unlawful conduct occurring in the DA's Office.
• Michael Allen, et al. v. City of York, et al.: a 2003 federal civil rights case resulting from the shooting death of Lillie Belle Allen during the York race riots of 1969. The civil rights case was filed after former Mayor Charlie Robertson, who was a police officer for the City of York during the riots, was charged with murder (but later acquitted).
• Steven D. Crawford v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al.: a federal civil rights case where Steven Crawford (brother of Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson) claimed that he had been maliciously prosecuted for murder and wrongfully incarcerated for 28 years.
• Melinda Knepp v. United Stone Veneer, LLC: a federal employment law case resulting from United Stone Veneer's decision to unlawfully terminate Melinda Knepp's employment after she rejected and complained about an owner's romantic advances.
• Gouseff, Yvonne (Estate of) v. W. Manchester Twp.: a federal civil rights case resulting from an incident where law enforcement forcibly entered a mentally ill woman's home and shot and killed her in her kitchen.

Mr. Jacob is a former municipal police officer with the State College Police Department; an accredited police department, located in State College, Pennsylvania. He is also a former deputy attorney general for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General. Mr. Jacob's law enforcement and litigation experience provides him with a unique perspective and has permitted him to successfully represent his clients in litigation. His professional experience makes him a great resource to the families of crime victims on how to best communicate with investigators during criminal investigations and death inquiries.

As a former police officer, Mr. Jacob believes that the rule of law applies to everyone – both citizens and government. In this regard, Mr. Jacob believes that legitimate civil rights litigation is one of the best ways to ensure that law enforcement entities both implement and follow the highest standards in the industry. Therefore, if you have been seriously injured during an encounter with law enforcement, please contact Mr. Jacob to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have about the incident. Similarly, if your loved one is a minor, elderly, or suffers from a mental illness or physical disability, and you believe that they were not reasonably accommodated, discriminated against, or otherwise improperly treated during an encounter with law enforcement, please contact Mr. Jacob to discuss your concerns.

Mr. Jacob's emergency services related experience spans over 10 years working and/or volunteering as a 911 operator, firefighter, and police officer, receiving professional training and/or certification in the following: APCO Dispatcher Training; Responding Effectively to 911 TDD Calls; Act 120 Municipal Police Academy; IPMBA Police Cyclist Course; DUI Detection and Standard Field Sobriety Testing; Investigation of Domestic Violence; Investigation of Child Sexual Abuse; Electronic Speed-Timing Device Non-radar; Fire Department Strategy and Tactics; Firefighter I, Fire Truck Company I; Fire Truck Company Operations I & II; Structural Burn; Combating Gas Fires and Handling Gas Emergencies; Fire Fighting with Foam; Respiratory Protection Practices; Vehicle Rescue Technician; Rope/High Angle Rescue; Hazardous Materials Operations; Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); AED and CPR; and Monitoring and Complications of Intravenous Therapy.