Cleveland police too quick to use deadly force, Justice Department says

Cleveland Plain Dealer ^ | 12/5/2014 | Ryllie Danylko

[EBH]

The growing distrust between Cleveland police and the communities they serve can be attributed in part to how quickly officers draw their weapons without trying to use words to calm tense situations, according to the U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the Cleveland Division of Police.

In addition to finding that police often fire their weapons recklessly, the report called out police for using deadly force or less lethal force as their first approach rather than a last resort, even in cases where a suspect is mentally disabled.

"We...discovered that officers do not effectively de-escalate situations, either because they do not know how, or because they do not have an adequate understanding of the importance of de-escalating encounters before resorting to force whenever possible," the report says.

These practices have become routine in a police culture that encourages using force as punishment - a pattern that's not only illegal but also puts a strain on police-citizen relations, according to the Justice Department.

[driftdiver]

This isn’t the St Louis incident.

BTW I see how you edited my post. Not real cool

[TinkofOhio]

Actually none. There hasn’t been an officer killed since 2008 and only a total of three since 2000.

[Conscience of a Conservative]

They realized that, for certain people in certain situations, Tasers are not exactly “non-lethal.” They are actually marketed as “less lethal” weapons now.