Committee continues review of CPD policies
The Columbia Police Department continued reviewing its policies and sought input from the public at a committee meeting Thursday night.
The department is reviewing its policies as part of a process to get accredited by a third party.
Law enforcement agency standards are always subject to review by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
A meeting scheduled at the end of April was canceled after no one from the public attended.
Interim Police Chief Geoff Jones said he was satisfied with the attendance at Thursday night’s meeting.
“We had a decent turnout, and we had a lot of good conversations regarding our policies. We presented four policies tonight,” Jones said.
The policies discussed at the meeting related to the use of the BolaWrap, the use of naloxone, officer-involved shootings and officers who are hurt or killed in the line of duty.
BOLAWRAP
The draft policy for the BolaWrap 100, a non-lethal restraint tool, states that only officers who have successfully completed department-approved training can carry the device. It also said officers should not hold any other weapon, firearm or control device and BolaWrap 100 at the same time.
The device is a hand-held tool that discharges a tether that wraps around a person’s torso and arms or legs to restrain them.
The draft policy also states that the officers must give a verbal warning that they are about to use the device before actually deploying it unless it would otherwise endanger the safety of officers or when it is not practicable due to the circumstances.
ABC 17 News reported in October 2018 when the department evalated the tool during a demonstration at the Columbia Police Regional Training Center.
NALOXONE
The draft policy for the use of nasal naloxone, which can treat an opioid overdose in an emergency situation, included guidelines for training, deployment and use of the medication.
It states officers must go through an approved training before they are allowed to carry and use the drug. It also said officers in uniform will carry the kit with them in their patrol vehicle, ATV or bicycle while on duty.
During the committee meeting it was revealed naloxone has saved the lives of 24 people since the department started to use it. ABC 17 News previously reported the department first equipped officers with the kits in December 2017.
OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS
The draft policy for officer-involved shootings and critical incidents says the purpose is to “ensure that officer-involved shootings and critical incidents are investigated in a thorough, fair and impartial manner.”
The draft outlines the types of investigations that may be involved in these incidents, the chain of command on the scene and the role of the involved officer in the investigations.
LINE OF DUTY DEATH
The draft policy for a line of duty death or serious injury outlines notification procedures for within the police department and a guideline for notifying the immediate family.
Guidelines for notifying family include asking to enter the home, using the officer’s name during the notification and using direct language to avoid giving the family “a false sense of hope.”
