Two members of the Board of Supervisors have called for Sheriff Alex Villanueva and all 46 police departments in Los Angeles County to adopt eight use of force restrictions recommended by the advocacy group Campaign Zero.
Supervisors Janice Hahn and Mark Ridley-Thomas filed a motion in support of the policies—dubbed “8 Can’t Wait’’ and aimed at police departments nationwide—which range from prohibitions on shooting at moving vehicles to comprehensive reporting on use-of-force incidents.
Some are already part of existing use-of-force rules for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Hahn said none of the dozens of law enforcement agencies operating within the county have implemented all eight.
“The people are demanding change,’’ Hahn said in a statement. “These are eight steps that can be taken right now by all of our law enforcement departments that are proven effective in reducing the number of people killed by police and sheriff’s deputies. Most of the police departments in L.A. County have already implemented one or two of these policies, but no one has implemented all eight… We cannot wait any longer.’’
Campaign Zero is led by Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson; data scientist Samuel Sinyangwe; and policy advocate Brittany N. Packnett Cunningham and is developing data-driven policies to end police brutality.
“The killing of George Floyd once again exposes the harsh reality that the African-American community has to endure in our country. We will not accept this injustice,’’ Ridley-Thomas said. “I believe that the eight reforms identified by Campaign Zero in this motion give us specific and clear changes to reduce the use of force by law enforcement that has resulted in this senseless violence. I urge dozens of police agencies in the county to adopt the policies immediately.’’
The supervisors pointed out that while sheriff’s deputies are not trained in the use of chokeholds, the department’s policy does not explicitly ban the use of chokeholds, strangleholds or the knee-on-neck hold used on George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer now facing a second-degree murder charge in his death.
The eight recommendations include:
Requiring officers to intervene to stop another officer from using excessive force;
Banning or at least restricting the use of chokeholds and strangleholds, including carotid restraints, to situations where deadly force is authorized;
Requiring officers to de-escalate situations before using force;
Using a use-of-force continuum that defines and limits the types of force that can be used in response to various forms of resistance;
Requiring officers to give a verbal warning before using deadly force;
Prohibiting officers from shooting at people in moving vehicles unless the person poses a deadly threat by means other than the vehicle;
Requiring officers to exhaust all other reasonable alternatives before resorting to using deadly force; and
Requiring comprehensive reporting that includes both uses of force and threats of force.
