According to the Baltimore Sun, police there are about to change how they watch the streets, with a new focus on ‘Sanctity of life’ and on monitoring their fellow officers.
“The Baltimore Police Department plans to implement a new use-of-force policy Friday that emphasizes the “sanctity of life,” stresses de-escalation and requires officers to intervene if they see a fellow cop crossing the line.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the new policy on Wednesday as the U.S. Department of Justice prepares to release the results of its sweeping investigation into the department’s patterns and practices.
The Police Department revised the policy in consultation with outside groups and institutions including the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP, and local prosecutors and public defenders, officials said
The new policy broadens reporting requirements for incidents in which an officer uses force. It defines three distinct categories of force — Levels 1, 2, and 3 — and the reporting requirements associated with each.
“There’s really a focus on de-escalating when possible,” said Jason Johnson, the department’s new director of strategic development. “And also when force is necessary, that the force is proportional.”
For the first time, the policy will require reporting when an officer points his gun at a suspect without shooting or flashes a Taser’s electrical current without firing
The policy requires officers to intervene to “prevent the use of excessive force by another member” of the department, and to immediately alert a supervisor to the incident. An officer who does not intervene to stop another’s excessive force may be subject to disciplinary action.”
What do you think? Is this a good thing for the streets of Baltimore?
