News Roundup

WRAL reports that in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the police departments in Raleigh, Durham, and Fayetteville generally are adopting policies consistent with the “8 Can’t Wait” campaign which advocates for reduced use of force policing practices.  Among the eight policy suggestions is a ban on chokeholds and strangleholds.  Keep reading for more on this story and other news. 8 Can’t Wait.  Durham Deputy Police Chief Kevin Cates told WRAL that his department believes they already follow the eight suggested practices, which also include using weapons as a last resort and establishing a use of force continuum.  Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said that her department recently addressed five of the eight recommendations and now will implement a ban on chokeholds, will no longer shoot at moving vehicles, and will commit to de-escalation tactics.  The Fayetteville Police Department only permits chokeholds when the use of deadly force is authorized and also requires officers to intervene to stop the use of excessive force by colleagues. APD.  The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Asheville Police Chief David Zach told the City Council this week that his department plans to “expand our current definition of what constitutes use of force” and that he had determined that use of force incidents were being underreported.  The APD has faced criticism in recent weeks of responding to protests with excessive force, including using tear gas and rubber bullets on demonstrators and destroying a medical supply station. Public Defender Resigns.  The [...]