Bottoms Orders Police Department Reforms In Wake Of Rayshard Brooks’ Death
At a press conference Monday, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms expressed sadness and anger over the death of Rayshard Brooks, a father of four.
screenshot from video
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is ordering a series of steps that she says will help heal Atlanta and the nation following the death of Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s restaurant parking lot Friday night.
The mayor says the initiatives are designed to deescalate the use of police force and to help implement police reforms.
Bottoms’ orders will require the police department to report all uses of deadly force to a citizens review board.
Atlanta police officers will also be “duty bound” to intervene and prevent another officer from using force “which is beyond reasonable,” Bottoms said, and then to immediately report the use of force to a supervisor.
The orders will stipulate that officers must use de-escalation techniques before using deadly force, and require officers de-escalate more generally in their policing, according to Bottoms.
She said officers should use a minimal amount of force necessary when bringing an incident under control.
Mayor Bottoms expressed sadness and anger over the death of Brooks, a father of four. Bottoms said there’s a clear disconnect between the Atlanta police and the community.
“It pissed me off. It makes me sad. And I’m frustrated,” she said. “And nothing that I can do will change what happened on Friday.”
Hundreds of mourners also gathered at the Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks was shot. Many left flowers and signs.
NPR contributed to this report.
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