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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Mayor Frey, will you also put limits on riotous thugs and other criminals?
HELL no, that would be racist.
He neglected to mention any ‘threats of force’ exhibited by the peaceful protesters such as waving guns, brandishing knives, holding flaming molotov cocktails in their hands, walking behind riot shields. What exactly are the police to do, let them pass by unhampered to exact their havoc on the citizens of the city? Perhaps the police should be standing there holding long stemmed carnations to hand out while saying, “Welcome to our fair city, enjoy your stay!” Hard to believe that the citizens have allowed this to go on for so long without making protests of substance themselves.
Acts like that, will be welcomed, like always by commucrats.
Stupidity again joins into the political fray of a Frey with no concept on the proper use of force. His niave life ideologies will only succeed in replacing dead police offenders with dead police officers when his wild west created city ends up in the hands of the guys quickest on the draw. Upholding the sanctity of human life only works when you dwell in the land of humanitarians, not in the Sleepy Joe land of nod, in the Democrat party redefined American Socialist land of ODD. In gunfights, he who hesitates in lost. In political fights, he who elected Democrats is even more lost.
“Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one’s trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see such horrible things
As you get rocked in their misty sea”
The only thing I can think of is “You can’t fix stupid” and Mayor you are STUPID! Just out spewing junk, why don’t you put on the uniform and go out and do the job for few months before you open your mouth. It almost sounds like, if there are 2 officers on the seen, one of them must be shot before the other one is allowed to protect himself.
HE IS A commucrat, they’ll NEVER Put their own lives on the line.. JUST OURS.
I believe that the majority of police officers already are practicing what the mayor is preaching and they have been doing so for a long time. They do not want to indiscriminately shoot another person. It is only when the perpetrator will not listen to the officer and displays threatening behavior that deadly force is used. I would suggest that the mayor and city council members be required to “ride along” with officers on a regular basis in order to experience first hand what the police face on a daily basis.
Hmm, sounds like mayor is implying if a suspect refuses to obey commands & just stands still the cops should just go away or maybe wait until the suspect falls asleep.
Need to require all Dem Party elected officials to watch several full seasons of Lockup & Cops to see what law enforcement & public have to endure from violent &/or career / repeat offender criminals.
Then make them go out on the streets to video & prove to cops & public just how much injury &/or risk of death they would tolerate to arrest someone.
BETTER YET, how’s about a new requirement to run for office.. ONE MUST have served AS Law enforcement, whether as a prison ward, or a cop, for a MINIMUM OF 4 years, before you are allowed to run for any elected office.
This “new policy” is full of the same use of force measures that were taught to me 51 years ago as a rookie.
We were taught to use the amount of force necessary to overcome resistance. The escalation of force included physical restraint, the use of the baton, and ultimately, the use of deadly force if that was warranted.
I don’t know what the use of force policy the KPD uses now, but it seems the new policy is almost exactly what I was subject to for 30 years.