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Phoenix police required to report instances where officers point guns at people

By Daniel Uria

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Police officers in Phoenix will now be required to self-document any instance in which they point a gun at a person.

The policy took effect on Monday, as Police Chief Jerri Williams and other city officials held a press conference to provide updates on recommendations made by the National Police Foundation to curb police-involved shootings in the city.

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"This will allow us to have a real idea of how many times our officers are able to successfully de-escalate a situation with the potential of deadly force," Williams said.

Officers will be responsible for logging any instance where a weapon is pointed at a person when completing an incident report and a supervisor will be able to review body camera footage.

Firearms Sgt. Vernon brink said an officer may point a weapon at a person during police activities including serving a search warrant, searching a building or during a felony traffic stop.

Instances in which a weapon is removed from its holster or kept trained on the ground will nor be required to be documented.

Carol Coles-Henry, a member of a Phoenix community panel that recommended documenting instances where officers pointed their guns at people in 2015, said the data could be used to learn how often guns are drawn, whom they are drawn on and whether officers could have taken other actions instead.

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Phoenix ordered the National Police Foundation to conduct a $150,000 study in 2018 after Phoenix police officers were involved in 44 police shootings, more than any other city in the country.

Williams and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego announced that in addition to the gun-pointing documentation, more than 1,700 officers have received body cameras and all patrol officers are required to undergo an eight-hour training program to teach them how to better assist individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

The announcements also come after officers, who were not wearing body cameras, were seen on video pointing guns at a couple and their 4-year-old daughter in a parking lot after she allegedly stole a doll from a Dollar Store in May.

Williams said that incident is still under investigation.

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