Chief Roddy updates police practices in face of protests

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy announces changes to policy as they face mounting protests over officer behavior.

“I have updated and highlighted existing policy to reflect not only the current expectations of our police department, but what I also know is in the hearts and character of your officers,” said Chief David Roddy.

The first seems a direct reaction to the George Floyd case.

The chief is adding a Duty To Intervene policy to the ADM-16 Code of Conduct.

“Each department member has the individual responsibility to intervene and stop any other member from committing an unlawful or improper act, including but not limited to, acts of brutality, abuses of process, abuses of authority, and any other criminal acts or major violations of department rules and procedures. Successful intervention does not negate a duty to report.”

In Minneapolis, three officers were charged after failing to intervene when a fellow officer knelt on the neck of Floyd.

The chief’s actions are meant to make sure that both his officers and the community know that officers must intervene when they see a fellow officer “committing an unlawful or improper act.”

The second announcement highlights policy that has been in the code for more than 20 years.

It says an officer must warn someone before shooting.

The section of the code says:

An officer, after giving verbal notice to the suspect of his or her identity as a police officer, may use or threaten to use force that is reasonably necessary to accomplish the arrest of an individual suspected of a criminal act who resists or flees from the arrest; an officer may use deadly force to effect an arrest only if all other reasonable means of apprehension have been exhausted or are unavailable, and where feasible, the officer has given notice of such officer’s identity as such and given a warning that deadly force may be used unless resistance or flight ceases.

The chief adds “I look forward to the coming conversations and encourage the inclusion of many representatives to include community leaders, law enforcement, and some of those who’ve expressed their concerns in recent days.”