Educational Resource

Learn how to hold public officers accountable as a beneficiary, not a subject.

BeneficiaryTrust.org is built around the book Public Trust Breach: How to File a Claim Against a Police Officer's Bond in the United States. It explains, in plain language, how the public trust works, what oaths and bonds really mean, and how to use peaceful, lawful remedies when that trust is breached.

From We The Beneficiaries of the State · For informational and educational purposes only – not legal advice.

Disclaimer: Nothing on this site creates an attorney–client relationship. Always verify procedures and requirements in your own jurisdiction.

Inside the Framework

What you'll learn from Public Trust Breach

The book and this site walk you through the public trust relationship, how sworn oaths and bonds really work, and how to respond when public officers breach their trust.

Understanding the Public Trust

Why the People are the grantor and ultimate beneficiaries of the trust, how constitutions function as trust indentures, and what it means for public officers to act as trustees—not rulers.

Oaths, Bonds, and Breaches

How to identify the oath and bond behind a badge, what constitutes a breach of trust, and why the bond is a financial instrument that can respond to proven misconduct.

The Bond Claim Process

From documenting an incident, to giving notice, to submitting a claim to the surety: the step‑by‑step path to presenting a clear, organized, and credible claim for damages.

Calculating & Framing Damages

How to distinguish economic, non‑economic, and punitive damages, and how to tie each category of harm back to a specific breach of duty in your written claim.

Negotiation & Settlement

Understanding the incentives of the officer, department, and surety; how to respond to denials; and how to keep your focus on remedy, not revenge.

Community Accountability Networks

Turning individual experiences into shared knowledge: building peaceful, informed, and organized local networks that know how to use the public trust framework together.

About the Book

Public Trust Breach: How to File a Claim Against a Police Officer's Bond

A complete, practical guide for beneficiaries of the public trust who want to respond to police misconduct using lawful, peaceful, and well‑documented bond claims.

Why this book exists

Across the United States, people experience official misconduct—from unlawful stops to excessive force and retaliatory arrests—often without understanding that there is a trust relationship behind every badge.

Public Trust Breach is written to restore that knowledge. It explains, in plain language, that:

  • The People are the grantor and ultimate beneficiaries of the public trust.
  • Constitutions and charters are trust indentures—not mere suggestions.
  • Public officers are trustees, bound by oath to serve within the limits of that trust.
  • Surety bonds exist as financial instruments to answer for breaches of that trust.

What's inside this complete edition

  • Part I – The Foundation of the Public Trust
    The language of trusts and trustees, how constitutions operate as trust indentures, why bonds exist, and how to see policing through the lens of beneficiaries and trustees.
  • Part II – The Bond Claim Process
    How to identify parties, request and locate an officer's bond, assemble evidence, and draft a claim that speaks to sureties and risk managers.
  • Part III – Calculating Damages & Settlement
    Structured approaches for documenting harm, calculating damages, and preparing for negotiation.
  • Part IV – Advanced Strategies & Case Studies
    Patterns from real‑world claims, sample language, and lessons from both successful and unsuccessful efforts.
  • Part V – Building Community Accountability Networks
    Templates, checklists, and organizing tools for groups who want to learn and act together.

Each chapter concludes with a Citizen Action Checklist to help you turn concepts into concrete steps.

About / Mission

We are beneficiaries, not subjects.

BeneficiaryTrust.org exists to help people see, understand, and navigate the public trust relationship that already exists between the People and public officers—and to do so peacefully, lawfully, and with clarity.

Our framework: the public trust

  • The People as Grantor & Beneficiaries. The power of government originates in the People, who delegate specific, limited powers through constitutions and charters.
  • Constitutions as Trust Indentures. These documents are not suggestions; they are binding terms under which power is held and exercised by trustees.
  • Public Officers as Trustees. Officers take oaths and often carry surety bonds precisely because they are entrusted with power that can harm if misused.
  • Oaths and Bonds as Safeguards. When a public officer breaches their oath, a well‑documented bond claim is one lawful path to accountability.

Our mission

  • To provide clear, accessible education about the public trust, oaths, and bonds.
  • To help people document misconduct and organize their experiences in trust‑based language.
  • To support peaceful, non‑violent, and lawful remedies for breaches of trust.
  • To foster community networks that share knowledge and hold institutions to their own standards.
Resource Library

Step‑by‑step tools to help you act as a beneficiary

These modules translate key parts of the book into practical checklists, prompts, and simple workflows. They are not legal advice; they are starting points for your own research and documentation.

Module
Understanding the Public Trust

A plain‑language overview of the trust relationship between People and public officers. Includes glossary terms for "grantor," "beneficiary," "trustee," "bond," and "breach," plus reflection questions you can use to map your own situation.

Checklist
How to Request an Officer's Oath and Bond

Step‑by‑step guidance for asking the right office, using clear written requests, and tracking responses when you seek copies of an officer's oath of office and surety bond or equivalent coverage.

Guide
Documenting an Incident of Misconduct

A structured way to record what happened: timeline, locations, officers involved, witnesses, records requests, and evidence preservation. Built to align with how claims adjusters and sureties read files.

Template
Drafting a Notice of Claim

A guided outline for turning your documentation into a clear notice to relevant parties. Focuses on facts, duties, breaches, and harms—not anger or argument.

Checklist
Community Accountability Checklists

For groups, congregations, and local organizations who want to understand and track how their public officers are honoring oaths and handling complaints.

Worksheet
Mapping Harms & Potential Damages

A simple worksheet to distinguish categories of harm and begin organizing supporting documentation, consistent with the book's approach to damages.

Blog & Learning

Articles based on public trust concepts

The blog expands on topics like oaths, bonds, documentation, and community accountability. Future posts may draw from curated social content and questions we receive.

Public Trust Basics

What It Means to Be a Beneficiary of the Public Trust

An introduction to the idea that you are not merely a subject of government power, but a beneficiary of a trust. We explore how this framing changes the way you read oaths, policies, and everyday encounters with public officers.

Educational only · Not legal advice
Police Bonds & Oaths

Why Some Police Officers Carry Surety Bonds

A plain‑language look at why bonds exist, what they are intended to cover, and how they relate to an officer's sworn duties. We also discuss common misunderstandings about what a bond can and cannot do.

Educational only · Not legal advice
Filing Bond Claims

From Incident to Claim: Organizing Your Story

Drawing on the book's checklists, this article outlines one way to move from a chaotic, painful incident toward a structured narrative that a surety or risk manager can evaluate.

Educational only · Not legal advice

Note: Blog content is drafted from educational materials and public sources, and may be edited over time. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for professional counsel.

Q&A Portal

Ask an educational question about the public trust

You can submit general questions about concepts from the book and this site. Responses, when provided, are educational summaries only and may be adapted into anonymized FAQ entries.

Before you submit: Please do not include names, case numbers, or details that could identify you, specific officers, or ongoing investigations. Keep your question focused on concepts and processes.

Questions may be summarized and answered in future educational materials. Submitting a question does not create any professional or advisory relationship.
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