Report Recommendation 1.2

When appointed to his office, Chief Axtell publically committed the department to reviewing its response to resistance and aggression policies (use of force) by the end of 2017. This comprehensive review spanned most of 2017 and across several disciplines including department management, training unit staff, and the city attorney’s office.

The review process included many steps and included reviewing employee use of force incidents, outcomes and policy language. The review also included exhaustive research on national trends, best practices, model policies and community viewpoints on police force incidents.  With the information gathered, the department developed completely new response to resistance and aggression (RRA) policies.  This included a new RRA Model that considered officer response but also the subjects level of resistance or aggression.   

Committed to 21^st Century Policing values, the department brought the draft policies to the public it serves.  The department held community meetings, released the policies to the media, and posted them on the department website with a feedback option.  The department leadership also engaged and sought input from its organized community partners.

Over the course of more than a month, the department received more than 100 suggestions from the public to revise the draft policy. These suggestions were representative of the community’s values and the department adopted approximately half of them in its final version.

The department is grateful for the relationship it has with the community and the level of engagement received during this important topic.

St. Paul's new police chief promises full review of policies   

Pioneer Press / Sept. 28, 2016

St. Paul Police propose major change to use-of-force policy

Pioneer Press / Jan 19, 2018

St. Paul PD releases new use-of-force policy 

 Pioneer Press / Mar 21, 2018

The Saint Paul Police Department maintains a philosophy that always attempts to strike a balance between First Amendment rights and public safety, and making the right decisions for the entire community.

To best achieve success, the department created a specialized unit focused on ensuring officers are highly trained, highly skilled and knowledgeable in applying evidence-based practices while protecting the constitutional rights of demonstrators and the safety of citizens and their fellow police officers.

After Philando Castile, police go through protest training
Pioneer Press | Sept. 15, 2016

1,000 Twin Cities officers go through protest training
Minnesota Public Radio | Sept. 16, 2016

The Saint Paul Police Department makes continued efforts to host community meetings, listen to our community and engage in meaningful ways. The department has taken specific steps to accomplish this goal:

• Created the Community Engagement Division
• Hired culturally competent community engagement specialists
• Incorporated community engagement and community policing into evaluations for sworn staff
• Established policy to engage the community in various ways, including social media and more traditional methods
• Districts and units participate in regular community meetings and events
• The department continues to host Safe Summer Nights events which results in tens of thousands of positive police contacts with community member guests
• Since 2016, the department has embarked on a pilgrimage to Washington D.C. with a cohort of officers and community members.  Funded through a grant and in partnership with Circle of Peace, the cohort visits the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum, National Museum of African American History and Culture and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  Together they learn about our collective history and the historical role law enforcement has played in society and in different communities.

Visit the Safe Summer Nights website at:  http://safesummernights.org/

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/10/06/stpaul-cops-men-bond-at-national-black-history-museum

Not applicable for local law enforcement.