For nearly two years, the Los Angeles Police Department’s civilian bosses have embarked on a high-profile campaign to curb the number of shootings by officers, pushing department brass for more training and less-lethal devices.
This week, the Police Commission will consider taking a major step to help the LAPD deliver on that goal.
Commissioners on Tuesday are expected to approve a new use-of-force policy that would require officers to try, whenever possible, to defuse tense encounters before using deadly force — a decades-old concept known as “de-escalation.”
The change would allow the commission to judge officers specifically on whether they could have found a way to resolve an encounter without resorting to firing their weapons. The move is the culmination of a series of actions aimed at reducing shootings.
A Times analysis found that commissioners ruled eight shootings by LAPD officers to be unjustified in 2016 — the highest number in at least a decade. In three of those cases, the board took the rare step of disagreeing with the LAPD’s chief, who had cleared the officers.
At the same time, The Times found, commissioners more often faulted the tactics officers used before a shooting, such as forgetting to carry a Taser or splitting from a partner during a foot chase. Last year, the panel decided there were tactical errors in 50% of the 46 shootings it reviewed, up from 32% the year before and 16% a decade ago.
