Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog
“8 Can’t Wait” Explained
“8 Can’t Wait” is an organization and campaign to bring immediate and necessary change to police departments all over the country. 8 Can’t Wait is in favor of more restrictive policies for police when dealing with the use of force. 8 Can’t Wait is based on the implementation of 8 specific policies that research shows could save lives and reduce the amount of people killed at the hands of the police. The 8 policies that are the backbone of 8 Can’t Wait are:
1. Banning Chokeholds and Strangleholds: Banned in all situations.
2. Require Officers to Practice De-Escalation: Officers would be expected to use techniques meant to de-escalate situations and reduce the likelihood that force would be used.
3. Require Officers to Give Warning Before Shooting: Requires a verbal warning when feasible before using deadly force.
4. Require Officers to Exhaust All Alternatives Before Shooting: This includes using lower-level force before using lethal force.
5. A Duty to Intervene if an Officer Observes Another Officer Doing Something Illegal: Officers would be required to intervene and stop excessive force being used by other officers and would further require reporting any incidents to a supervisor.
6. A Ban on Officers Shooting at Moving Vehicles: Only would allow officers to shoot at vehicles when the occupants of the vehicle are using deadly force which doesn’t include using the vehicle itself as a weapon.
7. Require Use of Force Continuum: A force continuum restricts the most severe types of force to use only in the most extreme situations. There would be restrictions on how and when a certain weapon or tactic is used.
8. Require Comprehensive Reporting from Police Departments: Requires police officers to make a report every time they use force or even when they threaten to use force against a civilian. This would include any time that an officer points a weapon at anyone.
8 Can’t Wait recently did an analysis of 12 different police agencies across the state of Michigan to see if their policies and standards regarding use of force measure up to the standards that 8 Can’t Wait is seeking to implement in police departments and agencies nationwide.
Michigan Statistics
8 Can’t Wait did an analysis of the following police departments:
• Ann Arbor
• Bay City
• Detroit
• Flint
• Grand Rapids
• Jackson
• Kalamazoo
• Lansing
• Michigan State Police
• Muskegon
• Saginaw
• Traverse City
Of the 8 standards of 8 Can’t Wait, these agencies only averaged to have 2 of the 8 standards. The Saginaw Police Department had the highest of the 8 standards with 7 of the standards in practice in their departments already. The Michigan State Police and the Grand Rapids Police Department amazingly had none of the 8 standards in their operating procedures. Some cities across the state of Michigan have made changes in the wake of the George Floyd, but a study such as this shows that there is still a long way to go. In order for any of these policies to have any teeth if they are actually implemented, it is going to require police officers across the state and the country to buy in and agree to be governed under these new rules, or suffer some consequences if they don’t; such as being suspended or fired. It remains to be seen how much of these ideas for reform will continue to be implemented in these and other agencies.
Any Further Questions?
If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime or being investigated for one, then it is important to speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately. At Grabel & Associates, our attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience in successfully defending criminal cases all over the state of Michigan. This experience extends not only to adult cases, but also to juvenile charges. We are not a general practice firm. We are a team of criminal defense attorneys; it’s all we do. We offer a FREE consultation to anyone with questions relating to a possible or existing criminal charge against them or a loved one. Feel free to contact us on our 24/7 defense line at 1-800-342-7896. You can also contact us online or come visit us at one of our three statewide locations. We can also come to you.