The Minneapolis Police Department last month tightened its standards for officers using deadly force, but backed away after the union and some of the rank-and-file raised concerns.
The proposed changes were rolled out May 25, according to a copy of the policy obtained by the Star Tribune, less than a year after the last policy revisions governing use of police weapons.
The tabled policy would have "strongly" discouraged officers from firing at, or from, moving vehicles, while prohibiting them from taking actions that unnecessarily put themselves or others in harm's way "so that deadly force becomes their only option to resolve the situation."
Department administrators said the policy revisions highlighted the dangers of shooting at a moving vehicle, noting that the shots could inadvertently strike the passengers or cause the driver to crash, harming others.
Similar guidelines are being adopted by many law enforcement agencies across the country, but the union that represents the city's roughly 850 officers objected to the idea.
"Our members were up in arms," said Lt. Bob Kroll, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis. Kroll said that the new policy was too vague, that it would remove officers' discretion and that it would increase penalties for those who violate it.
He also challenged a provision that would hold an officer accountable "if their actions unnecessarily place themselves, the suspect, or the public in a deadly force situation." That would make it easier to punish officers even if their actions comply with a law allowing the use of deadly force to protect themselves from great bodily harm or death, he said.
The changes were shelved shortly after the union raised concerns with department brass, Kroll said.
