Officers trained with new Metro use-of-force policy - FOX5 Vegas - KVVU

Officers will place minimal reliance on use-of-force when it comes to the de-escalation of situations involving suspects, according to Las Vegas Metro Sheriff Doug Gillespie.

Gillespie and members of a committee overseeing changes in the department's use-of-force policy unveiled police efforts to train officers when faced with situations that would otherwise lead to deadly force.

"We want to find out where in our training, where in our curriculum do we teach our officers to perform in that circumstance," said Lt. James LaRochelle with Metro.

In changes to the policy instituted last month, police said an emphasis is being placed on preservation of life, with force used only in the most extreme of circumstances.

Warnings and use of other tools like a Taser were recommended as ways to disarm a situation with a suspect, police said.

Their OC spray, their ECD - which the sheriff referred to as the Taser - and their baton can no longer be used unless the person coming at them is a threat to the officer, to themselves or to another individual, said Sgt. Kelly McMahill with Metro.

Gillespie also said officers had to take a four-hour class to learn the department's new policy. About 2,700 officers have trained, so far.

Details on the new policy were part of the department's attempt to provide transparency in situations involving force. Last month, Metro said it would release reports on officer-involved deaths that are not usually seen by the public.

"We need the community's support," Gillespie said. "We have to have transparency to get that support."

"Procedural rather than questions of judgement and guidance in terms of how to deal with particular kinds of situations," said Allen Lichtenstein with ACLU.

Gillespie also said police are striving to reduce deadly force cases. Metro noted the number of officer-involved shootings have decreased since June 2010 when there was a total of 15 incidents reported. During a six-month interval from Dec. 2011 to June 2012, five total officer-involved incidents were reported.

"The decision to use deadly force is the hardest decision anyone in this profession will ever make," Gillespie said.

Civil rights groups in southern Nevada have applauded Metro's efforts so far to provide transparency, although some say more needs to be done.

"The community is watching very closely about whether officers are ever going to be held accountable," ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Dane Claussen said.

"We give them significant power in order to do their job but that means there has to be the proper checks and balances," Lichtenstein added.

Metro's move also comes in the midst of a stalled coroner's inquest process to review use-of-force cases.

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