Michael P. Stone

Michael P. Stone, an “A-V” rated lawyer*, is the founder and principal partner of Stone Busailah, LLP. He has practiced in law enforcement representation of members, agencies, and organizations since 1979. Previously he was employed as a police officer, police supervisor, and police attorney, and has served in three municipal police departments from 1967 to 1979.

He is General Counsel for the Los Angeles Police Command Officers Association (Captains, Commanders and Deputy Chiefs), for the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association Legal Defense Trust, Riverside Sheriffs’ Association, and a number of other Southern California police associations. Formerly General Counsel for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, he continues to serve as a panel attorney for the League. He represents law enforcement as a panel attorney for the Fraternal Order of Police, and Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.

Michael P. Stone is an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police- Legal Officers Section (IACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the Los Angeles Police Historical Society, the Marine Corps Association & Foundation, and the Marines’ Memorial Association.

With expertise in police use of force policy and training, he regularly instructs force trainers for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and other agencies nationwide. He served as a faculty member of the Americans for Effective Law Enforcement (AELE) and the Labor Relations Information System (LRIS), and lectured in national programs for government counsel and law enforcement executives and officials. He also taught at Harvard Law School in Harvard Labor Program’s semi-annual “Big Fifty” leadership program on campus.

Since 1976, Michael P. Stone has taught and trained thousands of police employees, supervisors, managers, executives, and government counsel in local and national programs, primarily focusing on constitutional law, civil rights, Brady law, advocacy skills, police liability, police press relations, criminal procedure, evidence, community relations, and other police litigation subjects. Throughout his career, he has emphasized the importance of training as a key factor in reducing liability exposure.

As a police attorney, he managed civil liability for the Orange Police Department and represented the Department in all police litigation matters. In November 2024, he passed his 57th year in the business of policing and “defending those who protect others.”

A POST instructor since 1976, Michael P. Stone has trained internal affairs investigators, attorneys, police managers, and employee representatives for over 35 years for the Center for Criminal Justice Research and Training at California State University, Long Beach.

He regularly represents individual, local, state, and federal officers and officials as conflict counsel for the City of Los Angeles (tort, civil rights, and employment law), and the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Torts Branch, Washington D.C. (Bivens actions, Bureau of Prisons prison litigation, DEA, ICE, V.A. physicians and surgeons, and Qui Tam litigation).

He received diplomas from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy Notre Dame Law School as an Advanced Advocate (1987), Advocacy Teacher (1989), and Master Advocate (1991). Michael P. Stone is an LAPD Specialist Volunteer, formerly a Specialist Reserve Officer.

Admission

• U.S. Supreme Court
• California 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (Cal.)
• U.S. District Court (C.D. Cal.)
• U.S. District Court (N.D. Cal.)
• U.S. District Court (E.D. Cal.)
• U.S. District Court (S.D. Cal.)

Education

• Western State University College of Law (1979)
  Juris Doctor
• University of California, Los Angeles (1975)
  Teaching Credential
• California State University, Fullerton (1974)
  Bachelor of Arts, Political Science

Notable Cases

• The “39th and Dalton Raid Cases” (1988-1992) – 1998 search-warrant raids on Rollin’ 30’s Crips’ fortified “rock houses” at 39th and Dalton. Resulted in criminal conspiracy charges against a captain, sergeant, and two officers for unnecessary destruction of private property.
• All “Rodney King” trials (1991-1994) – State and federal criminal trials and civil rights damages trial, following 1991 the video-taped beating of Rodney King.
• The “Rampart CRASH” corruption cases (1999-2004) – Criminal, civil, and administrative prosecutions and investigation of Rampart gang officers.
• The “Tracy Watson Cases” (1996-2003) – criminal grand jury, administrative, and civil rights cases following the video-taped beating of illegal immigrants after an 80-mile high-speed pursuit.
• The 1999 “Margaret Mitchell Shooting” (1999-2003) – Fatal police shooting of homeless woman with a shopping cart who attacked an officer with a screwdriver.
• People v. Daniel Riter (2003) – Murder indictment of D.A. investigator for on-duty shooting during warrant service.
• The “Devin Brown Shooting” (2005-2007) – Criminal, civil, and administrative cases involving an incident where a LAPD officer shot and killed the 13-year-old driver of a stolen car at the end of a pursuit. LAPD Board of Rights found all 10 shots in policy and the officer not guilty of using excessive force.
• The “Butler Street Shooting” (2005-2008) – LASD deputies fired 120 rounds on video at driver Winston Hayes at the end of a pursuit in Compton.
• Hoving v. Hedges (2007-2008) – Federal civil rights damages case where the Chief Deputy’s office was bugged and fitted with a hidden surveillance camera by the Sheriff and Undersheriff.
• The “Steven Hirschfield Shooting” (2008-2010) – A fatal police shooting aboard a Harbor Police Boat in San Diego Bay.
• Tuszynska v. Cunningham (2011) – A renegade panel attorney sued a police legal defense fund for gender discrimination subject to an anti-SLAPP special motion to strike. The Court held that police legal defense fund’s decisions on attorney selection and funding of cases engaged in First Amendment-protected activities.