What is ‘duty to intervene’? How some US cities are telling cops to police each other

In response to days of nationwide protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd, someUS cities are looking to enact policies requiring officers to intervene when their colleagues are using excessive force.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, suffocated to death on May 25 in Minneapolis, after now-arrested police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes, prosecutors have said. Chauvin, who is white, has since been charged with second degree-murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, according to media reports.

While much of the public outcry has been focused on Chauvin, three other officers present during the incident were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, according to the Star-Tribune. Attorneys for two of the fired officers, who were rookies, contend they tried to intervene, the Star-Tribune reports.

Citing Floyd’s highly publicized death, the Dallas Police Department announced Thursday it is enacting a “duty to intervene” policy.

“Millions watched a Minneapolis police officer suffocate Mr. George Floyd to death by applying pressure with his knee on the victim’s neck for nearly 9 minutes,” the Dallas Police Department said in a release. “Had the officer’s partners intervened, the outcome might have been different.”

Under the new order, “It shall be the duty of every employee present at any scene where physical force is being applied to either stop, or attempt to stop, another employee when force is being inappropriately applied or is no longer required, according to a DPD news release..

In North Carolina, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said it will add a directive explicitly stating that officers should intervene if “another officer is not de-escalating a situation successfully or is using excessive force,” The Charlotte Observer reported.

“We will have something people can see as duty to intervene, but also specifically how we will treat (that policy),” CMPD chief Kerr Putney said. “This has been something we’ve been trying to codify.”

Earlier this week in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on law enforcement agencies statewide to adopt similar policies, The Detroit New reported.

Whitmer’s urging comes as the state considers a series of police reform bills, borne out of the continuing protests, according to the outlet.

“Here in Michigan, we are taking action and working together to address the inequities black Michiganders face every day,” she said.

In Minneapolis, where Floyd died, a duty to intervene policy has been on the books since 2016, according to the city’s website.

The policy reads:“It shall be the duty of every sworn employee present at any scene where physical force is being applied to either stop or attempt to stop another sworn employee when force is being inappropriately applied or is no longer required,” — word for word the same language used by the Dallas Police Department in defining its new order.