San Diego police now have standalone policy calling for officers to attempt to de-escalate encounters when they can, and a new imperative that officers intervene if they see another officer using unreasonable force.
San Diego police now have standalone policy calling for officers to attempt to de-escalate encounters when they can, and a new imperative that officers intervene if they see another officer using unreasonable force, the mayor and police chief announced Wednesday.
De-escalation “is important, because de-escalation tactics help officers to defuse a situation, enhance the officer’s — and the public’s — safety, and lessens unintended consequences,"Mayor Kevin Faulconer said at a midday news conference at police headquarters. “And as a result, of course, results in lives saved.”
The department has long taught de-escalation techniques. The change here is that the officers are now required to use them if safe and reasonable in the situation — and that requirement is among the demands from those pushing for policing reform, from activists to police advisory and review boards in San Diego.