FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - The Fayetteville Police Department has a new policy that will require officers to intervene if they witness fellow officers using excessive force.
Police Chief Gina Hawkins told The Fayetteville Observer that the department adopted the policy earlier this month. She said that officers will also receive new racial sensitivity training in July.
The changes followed in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Three other officers looked on.
Hawkins said the law already required officers to intervene when they see another officer going too far. But she said the new policy is now part of the department’s policy manual.
“And it’s not just for officers,” she told the newspaper. “It’s for all of our employees. Because we have civilian employees - if they see something - they are obligated also to speak up, empowering all of the voices to say something.”
The new policy states: “If at any time an employee witnesses another employee use force in a manner which violates existing law and/or the policy and training of the department, the employee shall intervene both verbally and physically if necessary to immediately stop the force.”
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