INDIANAPOLIS–The use of force policies for Indianapolis Metro Police officers are being updated. Mayor Joe Hogsett announced several changes Friday afternoon, including a update on when it will be legal for officers to shoot and kill someone.
“We are updating the department’s standard for using deadly force,” said Hogsett, who prefaced the announcement by saying it is incumbent upon the community to hear the words of African-Americans, who are not asking for action, but demanding it.
The update is based on a law from California.
“Community leaders and other advocates pointed to a California standard for using deadly force as a national best practice,” he said. A 2019 California law makes it legal to use lethal force only if there is no other option. The law was passed in response to the shooting of an unarmed black man who cops believed had a gun, when in fact it was a cell phone.
“It has been clear in listening to those who have spoken out that our use of force policies can and should be improved.”
Hogsett and police have been prompted by groups like Faith in Indiana, over the past week to make changes, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Also being updated: the department’s requirement on identification and warning before deadly force is used; providing clearly defined de-escalation requirements so that police try to cool a situation down; a prohibition on shooting into a from moving vehicles; and a policy that requires officers to intervene and report when other officers are using inappropriate force.
Choke holds are also banned.
“We are explicitly placing that prohibition in the new use of force policy,” said Hogsett, noting that IMPD officers had been trained previously to not use choke holds.
The mayor also said changes would be made to some of the policies regarding use of non-lethal force.
