On June 6, the Windsor Town Council and Windsor Police Chief released a statement on the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and outlining the use of force policies in effect for Windsor’s force.
“We are heartbroken and appalled by the senseless killing of George Floyd by former police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis,” begins the statement. “We unequivocally condemn the actions of this officer and the others involved. We feel and acknowledge the depths of anguish and anger caused by the inexcusable actions in Minneapolis, and we stand with the African American community against systemic racism and in support of those who are exercising their civil rights in peaceful protest of this tragic situation. We recognize that we can and must do better as a nation.”
The Windsor Police Department is a contracted entity from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s department. Therefore, the policies it follows are those set out by the sheriff’s department.
“We want the community to know that the actions of Officer Chauvin and the Minneapolis Police Department do not reflect the values, culture, policies, or training of the Windsor Police Department,” said the statement. “Over the past two weeks, we have received many communications calling for a review of our use-of-force policies. Our policing policies and practices (https://www.sonomasheriff.org/policies-and-training) are consistent with and in some instances exceed the model policies and practices that have been pointed to as examples we should follow.”
Among the policies outlined are:
• Chokeholds and Strangleholds. Chokeholds or strangleholds are not allowed.
• Use-of-Force. Our officers are trained to use non-force and less-lethal-force options first. Use-of-force is a last resort when the safety of our community members or officers is at risk. Our use-of-force and firearms training exceeds state requirements.
• Duty to intervene. Our officers are trained to intervene and stop excessive force if they witness another officer using excessive force per Use-of-Force Policy 300.
• De-Escalation. Our officers receive de-escalation training to reduce the likelihood of use-of-force encounters. Our officers are expected to de-escalate situations, where possible, by communicating with subjects, maintaining distance, and otherwise eliminating the need to use force.
• Crisis Intervention Training. All of our officers have been trained in Crisis Intervention Training. This training includes mental health crises, implicit bias and cultural competence.
• Warn Before Shooting. Our officers are trained to give a verbal warning when reasonable before use-of-force.
• Shooting at moving vehicles. Our officers are instructed not to discharge a firearm from or at a moving vehicle, except when necessary in the defense of the officer’s life or the life of another person.
• Mental Health Training. Our officers all receive mandated state standards training on how to interact with people who are in a mental crisis.
• Implicit Bias Training. Our officers are trained to recognize their unconscious biases and adjust automatic patterns of thinking to ultimately eliminate discriminatory behaviors.
• Accountability. We are constantly evaluating our use of force policies and every use of force is documented, investigated, and reviewed.
Some of these rules comply with the “8 Can’t Wait” guidelines, promulgated by Project Zero, an anti-police violence group. These include specifically the banning of choke and strangleholds, requiring warning before shooting and banning shooting at moving vehicles and empowering officers with a duty to intervene when their fellows are utilizing excessive force.
The other four items on the list of eight include requiring de-escalation, exhausting all other means before shooting, requiring a use of force continuum and requiring comprehensive reporting are part of the other things in the sheriff’s department list; they are not an exact match.
Proponents of the 8 Can’t Wait policies state that data shows that using these eight rules can decrease police violence by 72%. More information can be found at 8cantwait.org.
In addition, according to the sheriff’s department website, local officers receive more training than required by state law in several key areas. These include drivers training/Emergency Vehicle Operations Course which the state requires four hours every two years, and SCSO requires nine hours every two years; firearms training which the state requires four hours every two years and the SCSO requires two hours every quarter and an additional four hours every two years; and use of force/defense tactics/arrest and control, which the state requires four hours every two years and the SCSO requires two hours every quarter and an additional four hours every two years.
“In our town, we hold ourselves to the highest standards and stay accountable to each other and to the public,” the statement concludes. “We recognize our responsibility to continually monitor our policing policies and practices and advance meaningful reforms when needed. Our police officers serve with the highest level of integrity and professionalism, and we will continue to ensure that their efforts to engage with and build relationships of trust and transparency with all members of our community are performed to the highest standards, consistent with our values and free of bias and unequal treatment.”
