Resisting calls to resign from office, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday unveiled a series of changes to lethal force policies for city police — including plans to double the number tasers for officers– amid public unrest over a rash of fatal shootings involving police.
During a press conference on Wednesday, the embattled mayor outlined new police training protocols and policies designed to deescalate tensions between officers and the community and emphasize the use of non-lethal force in light of the department’s spotted record in handling conflict.
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“Just because you’re trained that you can use force, doesn’t mean you should,” Emanuel said on Wednesday. “Helping officers have that distinction and the training that goes with it is essential.”
Emanuel was forced to to cut short his family’s vacation to Cuba this week and return home to Chicago to oversee the fallout from yet another police-involved shooting that took place over the weekend. Two people were fatally shot by a police officer — a 19-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman — in what began as a domestic disturbance call on Saturday.
Wednesday’s press conference was Emanuel’s first public appearance since returning from his trip abroad. The victim’s family has already filed a wrongful death suit against the city, and calls have grown for the police department to expand its training protocols in order to avoid more casualties.
Moving forward, police officers involved in shootings will automatically be assigned to desk duty for 30 days as officials assess their fitness for duty, Emanuel said during the press conference. Previously, an officer’s mandatory time out of the field was 72 hours.
“We want to ensure that our officers are not just operating in either first gear or fifth gear, but to recognize the degrees in-between so they can respond appropriately to each individual situation where force can be the last option, not the first choice,” Emanuel said.
Confidence in Emanuel’s leadership was shaken upon the release of dashcam video that showed a police officer firing the 16 shots that killed Laquan McDonald, an African-American teen. The officer who pulled the trigger, 37-year-old Jason Van Dyke, pleaded “not guilty” to six counts of first-degree murder.








