Indianapolis police announce new use-of-force policies

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced Wednesday that it has adopted new use-of-force policies in the wake of nationwide protests over racial injustice sparked by George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.

The department said the new policies include an emphasis on deescalating potentially volatile situations and explicitly ban officers from using chokeholds and shooting into or from moving vehicles.

“The adoption of these new use of force standards is a substantial milestone, one that I hope demonstrates our commitment to building community trust and developing stronger neighborhood partnerships to address violent crime,” Chief Randal Taylor said in a statement.

Indianapolis’ police department, which has 1,100 patrol officers, is now working to revise its training curriculum to bring them in line with the new policies. The department said it will begin training all officers on the new directives as soon as August.

The department said it worked with Faith in Indiana and other community and advocacy groups to create the updated use-of-force polices.

Mayor Joe Hogsett announced June 5 that Taylor had drafted a proposed revision of the department’s use-of-force policy at the mayor’s request.

Hogsett’s announcement came the same day that Taylor said his department was taking a look at officers’ training for responding to heated public protests during its probe of four officers caught on video using batons and pepper balls to subdue two women at a protest over the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis police custody.