KCPD says it has adopted policies pushed by campaign for police use of force reform
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas signaled that he is open to changing the police department’s use of force policies that researchers believe lead to fewer lethal encounters.
On Wednesday, Campaign Zero launched an initiative called 8Can’tWait, which outlines eight recommendations.
The policies include banning chokeholds, requiring de-escalation, laying out a continuum of force, requiring officers to give verbal warnings, prohibiting officers from shooting at moving vehicles, requiring officers exhaust all other alternatives, requiring officers to intervene and requiring comprehensive reporting.
A 2016 report by Campaign Zero found that the Kansas City Police Department was one of two major agencies in the U.S. that had not adopted any of the practices.
But according to the police department, seven of the eight have been implemented in some form.
Officers are not authorized to use chokeholds and have a duty to intervene, said Sgt. Jake Bechhina, a spokesman for the department.
They have yearly de-escalation training and “generally officers will not shoot at a moving vehicle,” the department’s policy reads.
In terms of using alternatives before shooting and a use of force continuum, the department said “use of force is evaluated against a standard of reasonableness according to the Supreme Court.”
The department requires officers to report when force is used and someone is injured. Campaign Zero advocates submitting a report when any type of force or a threat of force is made.
The department does not require officers to issue a warning before shooting, Becchina said.
Campaign Zero said each of the eight guidelines were associated with a 15% reduction in killings. It also found officers in departments with more restrictive use of force policies were less likely to be assaulted or killed in the line of duty.
Lucas said he would approach the Board of Police Commissioners with the proposals.
Kansas City is one of the largest cities in the U.S. that does not have local control of its police department. Instead it is controlled by a board appointed by the Missouri governor. While Lucas has a seat on that board, his power is limited.
After a Pittsburgh resident asked Mayor Bill Peduto to enact changes, Peduto tweeted “Done.”
Lucas replied with the comment “Jealous.”
The board approved on Thursday several changes to procedures, including calling on outside agencies to investigate police shootings.
Thousands of protesters, including Lucas, have gathered at the Country Club Plaza over the past week. Spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protesters in Kansas City have rallied for an end to police brutality as well as local control.
On Wednesday, Police Chief Rick Smith announced the department had secured funding for body cameras, a demand some community members have long been advocating.
