Minneapolis police will adopt a “new and more stringent” policy in hopes of reducing the amount of force officers use and restoring trust with the community, Mayor Jacob Frey said Wednesday.

The new policy will require officers to “first consider all reasonable alternatives before using deadly force,” Frey said.

New language in the policy will ask officers to reconsider how they think of force, encouraging people to consider actions like unholstering a gun a “threat of force.” It will also specify that police should use “the lowest level of force needed to safely control a subject.”

It also seeks to further define types of resistance officers might encounter, noting that “passive resistance,” such as standing stationary and refusing to move, is different from more aggressive forms of resistance, such as firing a gun, and the responses from officers should vary accordingly.

The new policy also seeks to further limit the number of circumstances in which officers are permitted to shoot at moving cars.

More details, including the text of the revised policy, are expected to be released later Wednesday. The changes will go into effect Sept. 8.

Frey said many of the changes were in the works before George Floyd’s killing, but some became easier to implement after the state Legislature passed police reform bills following his death.

“Upholding the sanctity of life is not just a part of this policy,” Frey said. “It is the foundation of it. That is why we are doing this.”

Liz Navratil

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