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State standards on use of force policies being proposed

On Behalf of | Feb 3, 2017 | Criminal Defense

There are many different policies that can be present at a law enforcement agency. Among these are policies on the use of force. A pair of proposals expected to soon be brought before Wisconsin lawmakers aims to add some state standards when it comes to such policies at police departments in the state.

The proposals are being developed by a lawmaker from Madison. Among the state standards the proposals would create for use of force policies are a requirement that such policies include certain goals and a requirement that police departments add certain training to their training regime. The training in question is four hours annually of training on de-escalation.

The proposals are aimed at reducing officer-involved deaths.

Some individuals in law enforcement have leveled some criticisms of the proposals. This includes arguing that the required goals proposal is insulting to police. Given this and how prominent of an issue officer-involved shootings have been among the public recently, the proposals seem likely to draw a fair amount of discussion and debate here in Wisconsin.

One wonders what will happen with the proposals and if they will ultimately lead to there being new requirements on police departments here in Wisconsin when it comes to use of force policies.

Given how serious of matters use of force incidents are, what kinds of use of force policies police departments have and how well their officers follow such policies can be quite impactful.

Now, use of force policies are not the only police policies which deal with significant issues that can have big implications for the public. Another class are policies on how police are to act when it comes to looking for and collecting evidence. How vigilant police are at complying with such policies can impact how well the rights of individuals are being respected during police investigations. So, whether police complied with such polices in their investigative actions can be a very significant issue in criminal cases. Assistance with looking into this issue is among the many important services skilled criminal defense lawyers can provide to individuals accused of crimes here in Wisconsin.

Source: WQOW, “Lawmaker proposes state use of force standards in Wisconsin, law enforcement community skeptical,” Feb. 2, 2017

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