Cleveland Accepts Stringent Rules on Police Use of Force
The Cleveland police department, which has become a flash point in the racially charged debate over police tactics, has agreed to follow new rules governing how and when its officers can use force, and will accept stringent oversight to make sure those rules are not ignored, city and federal officials said Tuesday.
The agreement is part of a settlement with the Justice Department over what federal officials have called a pattern of unconstitutional policing and abuse. The Justice Department found that police officers in Cleveland used stun guns inappropriately, punched and kicked unarmed people, and shot at people who posed no threat. The incidents often went unreported and uninvestigated, investigators found.
The settlement requires Cleveland to meet some of the most exacting standards in the nation. At a time when the Obama administration has bemoaned the lack of data surrounding the use of force by police, Cleveland has agreed to document every time officers so much as unholster their guns. Police supervisors will investigate the uses of force in much the same way that officers investigate crimes.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/us/cleveland-police-accept-use-of-force-rules-in-justice-dept-deal.html?emc=edit_na_20150526
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