I have been interested in police use of force issues for all of my 23 years in policing and as chief, I am keenly aware and sensitive to concerns about police use of force. When I first entered this profession, I believed that by now there would be something created that could reliably incapacitate someone without harming them.  Unfortunately, that option does not yet exist.  

 Shortly after arriving in Wichita, I expanded the use of less lethal options to deadly force and now every sergeant's squad has beanbag shotguns that can be an option if practical.  We also recently purchased and are testing a device capable of firing high velocity foam rounds that temporarily incapacitate someone and is less likely to cause serious injury or death. Tasers are still an option, but they are reliable only under ideal circumstances.  We are always watching for new technology to help us reduce the need for deadly force.  Until we find a tool that can reliably incapacitate someone, there will be a need to use force to protect individuals and officers.

 Here is my philosophy on the use of force by police.  I have focused on creating a police culture that is focused on utilizing good police tactics in an effort to avoid creating a crisis.  Good tactics increase officer safety and decrease the use of force police must use.  My expectation for our officers is that they focus on the important concept of de-escalation. While the concept is fairly simple, it starts with effective communication.  Because of state and federal budget cuts, there is an over reliance on police for dealing with our communities mentally ill and we have become the 24/7 mental health workers on our streets.  For a number of years WPD has been providing officers comprehensive training on how to de-escalate individuals through crisis intervention training and mental health first aid.  About 75% of commissioned officers have received this training and the positive effects are being noticed.   Additionally, a large number of our volatile calls involve those under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  The lack of chemical dependency treatment options requires our officers to be skilled in dealing with those with substance abuse problems.

In addition to effective communication, we are training our officers to consider their approach to potentially dangerous situations. Rather than rushing into a volatile situation, whenever possible officers should use a tactically sound approach that includes using time and distance, good cover and communication skills to slow down violent incidents. 

 What many don’t know, is that we respond daily to calls of individuals wanting to do harm to themselves or others and these incidents are peacefully resolved by Wichita police officers.  In the last few weeks alone I am aware of numerous calls individuals calling 911 and requesting that an officer be sent so they can kill police officers or make requests of a police officer can kill them.  One recent situation involved a man threatening suicide with a knife at a church, officers used good positioning to keep themselves safe while talking with the man offering support.  Officers were careful not to put themselves in a position where they would have to use deadly force.  By communicating and utilizing de-escalation techniques they were able to convince the man to drop the knife. They brought him in to the hospital to get the help he needed. In all of the recent situations our officers used effective communication skills, tactics - and in a couple of cases utilized excellent and innovative police methods to ensure the safety of the individual in crisis as well as the officers. These are the everyday police incidents that are resolved peacefully that you don't hear about. 

In closing, recognizing the sanctity of human life is important to me as your police chief and we will continue to focus and train and build our culture around this philosophy.