Under color of authority is a legal phrase used in the United States indicating a person is claiming or implying the acts he or she is committing are related to and legitimized by his or her role as an agent of governmental power.

The phrase can refer to lawful or unlawful acts. The statutes that define what powers police officer

Police officer

A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

s can exercise in the course of their duty will often state the officer must be acting "under the color of authority." On the other hand, charges of police brutality

Police brutality

Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....

 will often include the formal charge of assault

Assault

In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...

 "under color of authority," as they did in the Rodney King

Rodney King

Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...

case.