PHOTO: City Manager Mark Washington speaks during today's news conference.
by: WOODTV.com staff
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — City of Grand Rapids officials held a news conference Wednesday laying out next steps to improve policing in the city.
Several city leaders spoke about the policy changes, including City Manager Mark Washington, Police Chief Eric Payne and Director of Oversight and Accountability Brandon Davis
The Grand Rapids Police Department pledges in the next 60 days to improve its use of force policy by explicitly banning chokeholds and deescalate situations when possible by communicating and maintaining distance.
One of the announce changes means that GRPD officers will now be required to give a verbal warning and exhaust all other options when possible before using deadly force.
GRPD will also require officers to intervene when seeing other authorities using excessive force and report the incident to a supervisor.
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