Chicago Police's New Use Of Force Policies Emphasize 'Sanctity Of Life,' De-escalation

CHICAGO, IL — Using "sanctity of life" as its guiding princple, the Chicago Police Department has reworked its use of force policies for its officers, codifying a standard that ramps up March's proposed guidelines but doesn't take nearly the steps of measures outlined late last year following the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation of the department. The revised policies were announced by Superintendent Eddie Johnson on Wednesday during a presentation before Chicago police officers and community members.

Under the new guidelines, officers will be trained to de-esecalate situations peacefully and use deadly force only as a last resort, said Johnson, adding that Chicago's revised standards for when deadly force is justified are now more detailed than the state's. The policies also outline when officers should use Tasers, OC (pepper) spray and canine units during calls.

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"Now I'm not naive. I know that there will be some who will think that these policies are too restrictive for officers to do their jobs, and there will be some who think it isn't restrictive enough," Johnson said during Wednesday's announcement. "However, I do believe that the set of policies we are releasing today is in the best interest of everyone, because there are two things on which I refuse to compromise. The first is the safety and security of CPD officers. And the second are the basic civil rights of every person we serve."

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The revised use of force guidelines are self-imposed and part of the city's continued response to the criticism the police department has received — and that includes the Justice Department's findings — when it comes to handling certain incidents, particularly officer-involved shootings such as the Laquan McDonald case. Police and city officials spent more than a year looking at national best practices of other departments, as well as talking to Chicago officers and members of the community, before crafting the new policies. They also factored in feeback from two public comment periods that were held after proposed guidelines were introduced in October and then again in March.

"This is a policy by Chicagoans, for Chicagoans," Ald. Ariel Reyboyras (30th Ward), chairman of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, said at the presentation.

WATCH: A quick look at the Chicago Police Department's new use of force policies:

The new police policies will go into effect this fall after officers take a four-hour course. Mandatory training will continue into 2018 with an eight-hour, scenario-based training course meant to test officers on how to apply the measures in real-world situations, according to a CPD release concerning the policy changes.

Some of the areas covered and principles emphasized by the new policies include:

• A clear description of authorized force options that are objectively reasonable, necessary and proportional for different situations officers might face.
• The use of deadly force is only a last resort used to prevent "an immediate threat of death or great bodily harm posed to officers or another person," the CPD release stated. The new policies also include choke holds and the use of impact weapons to hit a subject on the head.
• Excessive force, discriminatory force, force used as punishment or retaliation, and force in response to someone exercising their First Amendment rights is prohibited.
• Officer witnessing colleagues violating the new guidelines must "verbally intervene" and report the incident to a superior.

But Kevin Graham, the newly elected president of Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police, objected to the new policies, although he did say in a statement that he would be willing with the department and the city to craft new measures that put officer safety first, Chicago Tonight reports. The following is Graham's statement concerning the guidelines:

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"We do not believe Chicago Police Officers engage in systemic excessive force, as the Department of Justice report alleges, and we are glad that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has called into question such conclusions. Three Chicago Police Officers have been shot in the last two weeks. The reality is that many offenders do not want to go to jail and they become resistant or combative with officers. These violators determine the level of response by officers. Police officers throughout the city will point out that offenders, particularly gang members, are more combative and resistant to the police in the current anti-law enforcement climate within the city. For these reasons, we do not believe that extensive changes should made to the current use of force policy.

"Nevertheless, we are always willing to discuss new measures with the superintendent that insure the safety of our officers and those of the public."

WATCH: Superintendent Eddie Johnson announces the changes to Chicago Police Department's new use of force policies:

YOUR TURN: What do you think about the Chicago Police Department's revised use of force policies? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

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