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Atlanta City Council moves forward on new use of force policy for police

Updated  July 6, 2020 11:52pm EDT
Atlanta Police Department
FOX 5 Atlanta

Atlanta police reform meeting

Hundreds of people are sounding off during a public hearing being held by the Atlanta City Council regarding police reforms.

ATLANTA - After hours of listening to the public during a virtual meeting on Monday, the Atlanta City Council is moving forward on proposed changes to the Atlanta Police Department's use of force policy. The meeting will continue Tuesday.

The council proposed the so-called “8 Can’t Wait” principals, integrating new use of force policies. Those principals include:

• Banning chokeholds and strangleholds

• Requiring de-escalation strategies

• Requiring a warning before shooting

• Exhausting all alternatives before shooting

• Duty to intervene (from other officers)

• Banning shooting at moving vehicles

• Requiring use of force continuum

• Requiring comprehensive reporting involving use of force against civilians.

The platform is part of Campaign Zero, a police reform initiative launched in 2015. The reforms in the legislation aim to improve community interactions with the police and reduce the number of violent encounters.

The meeting will continue at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and a council member could ask to revisit one or more of the items at that time.