[Peace-discuss] Police policy on lethal force

[LAURIE SOLOMON]

I concur that Barbara's bringing it out into the light of day and focusing
public attention not only on the change in the "Deadly Force" policy but  on
the substance of the  new provisions in that changed policy was very
important and relevant to not only the this particular incident being
discussed but policy and policy making in Champaign in general.  I have to
admit that I was caught unawares of this change although I was not really
surprised by the substance of the change in that I sort of expected such
changes - even though not as extreme or vague as this.  I was really
offended by the non-transparent nature of the process  by which such a
changes in policy were developed, instituted, and became part of the
established policy without any public hearings, any public discussion or
formal official approval of the City Council, or publication of the new
policy allowing the public easy access to its content. The changes are not
mere mundane administrative changes such as the introduction of new data
collection and assemblage forms and processes, new uniforms and dress codes,
new complaint response protocols, etc. that affect routine internal police
operations; they are significant and substantive changes in the scope and
range of permissible  police discretionary behaviors and  of approved
courses of action by officers in the field.

 

The most significant question that the establishment of this new policy
raises revolves more around the general issues than issues pertaining to
this particular tragic incident. The focus should be on issues of
transparency in the administrative policy making process, the public
participation in the process by which such policies are considered,
developed, and established, the need for elected officials to officially
vote on and approve policy changes when they are substantive in nature as
contrasted to merely mundane procedural changes in substantive policies or
changes in procedural policies, and the making public aware of all such
policies and policy changes and  their contents easily accessible to the
public in written form.  There should be an insistence on all administrative
policies, rules, and regulations being published in written form and easily
available to the public before they can be made effective.  There are too
many administrative policies, rules, regulations, and routine operating
procedures that are informal unwritten in nature, that are uncoedified ,
that are vague as well as ambiguous as to their meaning and concrete
applicability so as to be capricious or allow for capricious implementation
in actual concrete ciscumstances.

 

 

From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of John W.
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 12:14 PM
To: C. G. Estabrook
Cc: Peace-discuss List; Barbara kessel
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Police policy on lethal force

 

 

On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 11:41 AM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at illinois.edu>
wrote:

Barbara--

Your comments last night on the changes in the police policy document on
lethal force seem to me very important indeed.  Nice work.

I hope they will be followed up.  How e.g. is the policy established?  City
council who permitted it must be retired.

Regards, Carl



For those who haven't read it and didn't hear Danielle's comments last
night, the policy says,

"A peace officer is justified in using deadly force only when ... such force
is necessary to prevent the arrest from being defeated by resistance or
escape." 

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