In many cities, if the police (or other city employee or contractor) damage a bystander’s property the person would have to file a claim with the city. Almost always it is denied, in which the person would have to sue the city for damages or settle out of court.
Thanks for your perspectives on city liability.
It sure seems to me that part of the cost of policing should be the cleanup of inadvertent economic damages. After all, the cost of policing is presented as straight-up shared protection. If, in the course of protection, the city can trash your property with impunity, something is definitely wrong.
Police departments ought to have a “cleanup” department. Forcing bystanders to sue for any satisfaction is wrong.