Denver Police Department Revises 'Use Of Force' Policy
DENVER (CBS4)- The Denver Police Department is revising its use of force policy. The department released a draft of the new policy in hopes of receiving public feedback about the changes.
The policy changes come after demand from Denver residents to change traditional policing techniques.
Denver Police Chief Robert White said the new decision-making model includes a threshold of whether to apply force, such as when it's necessary to shoot at a moving vehicle.
The new policy urges officers to think critically about whether physical force is needed in a situation. It urges them to keep a safe distance, consider other resources and wait for back-up when encountering a suspect.
White said it also emphasizes a more reasonable approach when responding to volatile situations, opposed to previous policy in which officers were trained to quickly take control of a situation, which sometimes made things worse.
"This is not to say that what we were doing was wrong. I think we have a responsibility to always evolve and figure out how we can do things better and more effectively. And I'll say with great confidence that we're one of the more progressive departments in the country," said White.
White said officers will begin training with the new policy by the end of the month. Officers will also undergo ethics training.
DPD would like public input on the policy and everyone is encouraged to read the draft.
