(WCCO) Protecting the sanctity of life is the cornerstone of good police work, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said during a press conference Wednesday, and with that in mind the Police Department is going to do things differently than it has in the past.
In a joint appearance with Mayor Jacob Frey, Arradonda announced the Minneapolis Police Department will now require that officers document lethal-force incidents with proof that there was no other viable option. New measures also ban officers from shooting at moving vehicles and allows them to use only “the lowest level of force needed to safely control a subject.”
Among other measures, the changes outline the difference between passive resistance, including refusing to move, and more aggressive forms of resistance, such as brandishing a weapon or firing a gun. Both require a different response and officers will be held accountable for using force that is disproportionate to the level of a subject’s resistance.
This, of course, comes following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin, which led to widespread protests and calls to defund the police in Minneapolis and around the country. And it comes the same week that Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, was hit in the back at least seven times after refusing orders to stop. His three children were in the car when he was shot by police Sunday in Kenosha, Wisc.
“Upholding the sanctity of life is not just a part of this policy,” Frey said during the presser. “It is the foundation of it. That is why we are doing this.”
He went on to say that no incidents have been more damaging to police-community relations than the excessive use of force against people who officers are sworn to protect.
“These changes represent a fundamental shift within our department and set clearer standards for community and officers as well.”
Arradondo added the policy change "strengthens our commitment to de-escalation and reportable force which will help keep our officers and the public safe.”
"Some of the changes were made possible by new latitude afforded by the recently-passed Minnesota Police Accountability Act, including the restrictions on deadly force.Frey also reiterated the call for police arbitration reform that would limit arbitrators’ authority to overturn a police chief’s disciplinary decision in cases of egregious misconduct, emphasizing that the ability to keep officers who violate this policy off the force will be essential to helping the policy take root in the department."