Town Hall meeting on Taser Policy 7/15 at 6:30

[annm4peace]

Town Hall meeting on Taser Policy

Sponsored by the Mpls Civilian Police Review Authority (CRA)

Wednesday, July 15, 6:30 pm, in Room 319 of City Hall, 350 S. 5th St.
(use after-hours entrance: the center doors on 4th St. - north side of
building)



Announcement of public meeting:
________________________________________

The Minneapolis Civilian Police Review Authority (CRA) invites the public
to attend a forum addressing the Police Department´s Taser® policy and the
question of when and how changes are made to the Minneapolis Police
Department (MPD) Policy and Procedure Manual. City Council members will
also be invited to attend and participate. Board members will explain the
history of and differences between the former and current policies for the
use of Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs, the generic term for Tasers).
After the presentations, the CRA will invite public comment on the current
CED policy, and when and how changes should be made to the MPD's policy
and procedure manual.

This public forum comes one week before the City Council's Public Safety
and Regulatory Services Committee will consider measures to govern how
changes are made to the MPD's Policy and Procedure Manual. The manual
provides the standard of conduct that both the MPD's Internal Affairs Unit
and the CRA look to when determining if police officers committed acts of
misconduct.

The City Council debate and CRA forum are in response to the MPD changing
their 2006 CED policy without notice to City Council. The police
department's adoption of the 2006 CED policy was required as part of the
City Council´s approval of MPD's purchase of 160 new Taser® CEDs. That
policy was the result of a collaboration between the CRA, City Council,
and the Police Chief. It contained specific directives, such as only one
officer should activate a Taser against a person at a time, and
restrictions on employing Tasers on passive subjects, children, visibly
frail persons, pregnant women, etc. The MPD changed that policy on August
17, 2007, apparently giving officers much greater discretion in the use of
CEDs. The CRA Board has recommended a return to the policy adopted in
2006.

[Eric J in MN]

1. It should be illegal to use a taser on an unarmed person. NT

NT