From this morning's News-Gazette:
Among the concerns were policy language regarding Tasers and the use of deadly force involving people who are fleeing or escaping police.
One of the policies the department intends to clarify, it said in a news release Friday, is that Champaign police "do not use conducted energy weapons (Tasers), but may call in other agencies to deploy them, and providing guidance on when Tasers may be requested."
Other proposed changes include:
– Adding language that better explains when it is legally reasonable for an officer to use deadly force.
– Emphasizing language about the restrictions in the use of deadly force when a suspect is resisting or escaping.
– Reinserting language from the department's previous policy about when an officer may display a firearm.
– Adding language that the annual use of force report will be reviewed by both the city council and human relations commission.
The police department will work on the changes and present them to the city manager and city attorney for review.
Policy changes concern future guidance for police. Who's responsible for the death of the 14 year old, the current policy? I think not.
15 year old, and the investigation report from the State Police hasn't been released yet.
I stand corrected.
"Council member Tom Bruno applauded the police department "for taking the public input and instead of digging their heels in and stubbornly sticking with what they had, they were open-minded enough to accept constructive criticism and try to improve their policy."
"Maybe the policy is enjoying a degree of importance greater than it deserves. Really more important is the attitude that we instill in our police force and the training we provide them," he said. "The policy is one part of the big picture, but it's a much more complicated world than just the policy."
"For one thing, it may well be that our use-of-force policy has nothing to do with the unfortunate shooting death of Kiwane Carrington, but if that's what caused us to take a harder look at it and there are some ways it can be improved, then that's a good thing."
The change in policy is NOT about fixing responsibility for the death of young Mr. Carrington. It is about making as sure as possible that similar events do not occur in the future. Mr. Bruno said it well in the above quotation from the News-Gazette article reporting the Police Department press release.
Three Score and Ten Plus One
Keith Hays
Im stunned that CPD didnt ask you to write the policy Keith.
Until the report is out, its seems way too soon to be changing policies. Neither CPD nor Bruno deserved any applause at this point. You cannot reduce the potential of future similar events until you know all the facts about this event. All the efforts so far have been to 'keep busy' or if your Bruno, applauded the CPD.
Filet Finney Now!
Something is Fishy in the Champaign Police Department.
The change in policy is NOT about fixing responsibility for the death of young Mr. Carrington. It is about making as sure as possible that similar events do not occur in the future.
This doesn't even make sense, Keith. Even if you make the huge leap that CPD meant to shoot Kiwane, that would have been out of bounds of the old use of force policy as well. The revised use of force policy is not any more strict than the old one. It's the exact same thing. The only difference is the language more clearly spells certain things out. And in reality that's just for people who don't know any better who happen to read it and draw stupid conclusions about what they can't comprehend (insert Danielle Chynoweth here).
"This doesn't even make sense, Keith. Even if you make the huge leap that CPD meant to shoot Kiwane, that would have been out of bounds of the old use of force policy as well."
I am not sure which leap is the most frightening. That the CPD intended to shoot Kiwane or that they Didn't Intend to shoot him but somehow they did, in which case ...