Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
JUNE 18, 2020
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS HAHN, SOLIS, and BUTTS
Report Back on Use of Force Policy followed by Metro Policing Contractors and Employees
On May 25, George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill. While Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd pleaded and repeatedly told Chauvin and three onlooking officers that he could not breathe before losing consciousness. He was pronounced dead one hour later. Video of George Floyd's death has sparked protests nationwide over police use of force and the growing list of unarmed black men and women who have been killed by law enforcement in this country.
Research has shown that concrete changes made to department policy and training can result in decreased uses of force by law enforcement officers. The organization "Campaign Zero" has identified eight use of force policies that have been shown to reduce the number of officer-involved killings. These policy reforms include:
1) Requiring officers to de-escalate situations, when possible, before using force
2) Using a Force Continuum or Matrix that defines and limits the types of force that can be used to respond to specific types of resistance
3) Restricting, or prohibiting, the use of chokeholds, strangleholds, and carotid restraints
4) Requiring officers to give a verbal warning before using deadly force
5) Prohibiting officers from shooting at people in moving vehicles unless the person poses a deadly threat
6) Requiring officers to exhaust all other reasonable alternatives before resorting to using deadly force
7) Requiring officers to intervene to stop another officer from using excessive force
8) Requiring comprehensive reporting that includes both uses of force and threats of force
...
Click here for full text