Salem To Hold Virtual Town Hall On Police Use Of Force

Salem MA

23 September, 2020

9:42 AM

Description

SALEM, MA — Salem police use-of-force protocols, with community input, will be the topic of a streaming town hall event held Tuesday as the city reviews and considers changes to its procedures. "The Salem Police Department is committed to encouraging community input in all aspects of how we effectively protect and serve," said Salem Acting Chief Dennis King. "I welcome this opportunity to discuss our use-of-force policies, explain the legal, training and tactical foundations we rely on when developing them, and hear directly from community members on how these policies affect them. "This review of our policies, to include community input, will undoubtedly lead to a sound and representative base for any changes to come." The town hall is part of Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll's participation in the "Reimagining Policing Pledge" that includes reviewing the police department's use-of-force policy and gathering public feedback on it. "I believe Salem's police department has one of the more progressive use-of-force policies in the nation. However, that does not absolve us of a responsibility to review it publicly and with an open mind," Driscoll said. "Our police policies exist not only to ensure discipline within the department, but to instill public confidence in the department's actions. "Having a transparent, open review of this important law enforcement policy is in keeping with the pledge that I made, and also just sound, good government practice." The event, which will be run from 5:30 to 7 p.m., will be broadcast live on the city's website and streamed on the Salem Facebook page. A recording will also be available after the broadcast on the Facebook page and Salem Access TV. Driscoll will moderate the town hall, along with members of the city's Race Equity Task Force. Questions can be asked live during the event on the Q&A portion of the website feed or emailed in advance to [email protected]. Emailed questions should be submitted Monday at 4 p.m. with "Use of Force" in the subject line. The Salem Police Department's use-of-force policy can be seen in English and Spanish here.