Kalamazoo Public Safety fails use-of-force test

Police agencies across the nation are under a microscope following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a police officer using excessive force.

Kalamazoo’s police agency is no different, and a review of department policies shows it doesn’t meet many criteria for avoiding the same sorts of actions.

A fundraising gala supporting

Friday, April 28, 2023 | 7-10PM
Girl Scouts Program & Training Center

It’s back! Eat Drink Give returns to bring hundreds of guests together to enjoy a memorable evening filled with food, drinks, music, and fun. This gala features tasty creations, an impressive selection of wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages for sampling, an awesome venue, fabulous raffle and auction prizes, and best of all — people who want to make a difference!

The funds raised at Eat Drink Give will support Gryphon Place’s local programs and services, including 2-1-1, suicide prevention, youth services, Restorative Practices and more. We know the last few years have been difficult for everyone, so the joy of celebrating and supporting our community is needed now more than ever. We hope to see you there!

For tickets and more information: www.gryphon.org/edg

MLive obtained policy documents from 12 Michigan police agencies including the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS).

MLive then forwarded those policy documents to a group called #8CANTWAIT, which advocates for eight specific policies police departments can adopt to prevent situations like what happened to George Floyd.

The eight policies are as follows:

• Ban chokeholds and strangleholds by officers
• Require officers to use de-escalation techniques
• Require officers to give a verbal warning before shooting a suspect
• Require officers to exhaust alternatives before resorting to deadly use-of-force
• Require officers to intervene if another officer is using excessive force
• Ban officers from shooting at moving vehicles
• Establish a Force Continuum policy that outlines when different levels of force may be used
• Require comprehensive reporting of every instance where an officer uses force

A review of KDPS policies shows they only meet three of the standards:

• Requiring a verbal warning before shooting;
• Duty to intervene; and
• Comprehensive reporting.

Of the other 11 departments, only Grand Rapids and the Michigan State Police met none the criteria. Saginaw’s police department ranked best with seven of the eight policies.

The City of Kalamazoo is considering making changes to its use-of-force policies now.

You can read the full story here.