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A police department's use-of-force protocols can greatly affect the number of fatalities they cause. Campaign Zero has pinpointed the eight key policies that cities can implement immediately, and they've developed a tool for you to check how your city measures up on each.
The website to visit is 8cantwait.org, where you can find the following policies:
Mandatory de-escalation procedures
A clear use-of-force continuum
A prohibition on chokeholds and strangleholds
Obligation to issue a warning before shooting
Limits on shooting at moving vehicles
Officers must use all other options before resorting to gunfire
Officers are required to intervene and report excessive force used by colleagues
Mandatory reporting of all uses of force or threats against civilians
You’ll find a chart that lets you compare your city to others, like this one:
...you can also search for your city and obtain a shareable graphic showing which of the eight policies are still missing, along with the contact number for your mayor or sheriff.
These policies provide a strong foundation, but they aren’t the only means of reducing police violence. To dive deeper, connect with local organizations, particularly those led by Black communities, who are focused on eliminating police violence. However, this is a valuable starting point.
