#8can’twait In the Burg
Mayor Papenfuse was on MSNBC tonight talking about policy change and what the city of Harrisburg is looking to implement for systemic change in policing. For those wondering what the #8can’twait is about:
Inspired by former President Barack Obama calling upon mayors to review methods of policing, Harrisburg officials began to take a look at city policies, he said. They are using Campaign Zero’s “8 Can’t Wait” challenge as a framework.
“At the end of the conversation, there will definitely be a rewrite of the general order,” Papenfuse said.
The project looks at eight policies that local governments can adopt, claiming they may decrease police killings by 72 percent.
The eight policy recommendations include:
banning chokeholds and strangleholds
requiring de-escalation
requiring warning before shooting
requiring exhaustion of all alternatives before shooting
a duty to intervene when excessive force is being used
banning shooting at moving vehicles
requiring a use of force continuum
requiring comprehensive reporting
Papenfuse explained Harrisburg’s Police Use of Force General Order explicitly addresses seven of the eight orders. The policy that’s not in the city’s order is a duty to intervene when excessive force is being used by other officers. He mentioned it is taught in the police academy.
“We can definitely add number eight,” he said.
In addition to the city addressing the eighth policy, they are also looking to expand on and enhance the other seven. For example, the mayor said they want to require more de-escalation and warning before excessive force is used.