POLICY SOLUTIONS FOR RACIAL INJUSTICE AND EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE BY POLICE FORCES
To be effective policy solutions must address the following:
- Enforcement Policy (short term)
- Systemic Racism (long term).
- All police as well as other safety, security and enforcement departments must adopt a comprehensive “Use of Force” policy.
- North Carolina should develop a baseline Use of Force Policy manual.
- Such policies must be made available to the public and subject to the input of Community Boards and the approval of local elected officials.
- All included departments must establish Citizen Review Committees for the purpose of reviewing all cases of misconduct and use of excessive force.
- All on-duty officers must wear and have activated body cameras. Video from such cameras must be maintained on file for at least one year.
- Such video must be made immediately available to family members of injured or killed victims.
- Records of repeated misconduct and excessive force must be available to the public.
- Establish a national database of confirmed excessive use of force cases.
- All on-scene officers should be held equally accountable for violations of Use of Force policies.
- All included departments must be regularly trained in racial bias and de-escalation techniques of both victim and enforcement situations.
Use of Force Policies must include at least, the following:
- Post-restraint procedures
- De-escalation procedures for handling both victims and officers
- Use of Force continuum
- Banning so-called choke holds (as defined by NYC policy)
- Banning “no-knock” warrants for non-violent crimes
- Elimination of Qualified Immunity
- Implicit bias training
- Regular meetings between community members and compliance officers
- Requirement of internal written reporting for all suspected violations of UoF policy by all on-scene officers
- Non-retaliation (whistle blower) protections
- Sanctity of life statement
- Commitment to eliminate racial bias in enforcement
The following laws should be revisited and revised:
- HB 706 (2019)
- HB 972 (2016)