Policy Considerations: Lessons Learned Recommendations from Civil Rights Litigation
Develop comprehensive policies and procedures
- Comply with applicable law
- Reflect the generally accepted policing practices on investigatory stops or detentions
- Consistent with community priorities for enforcement
Ensure consistent supervision and officer accountability for complying with law and policy
- Establish a system for regular review of documentation and video within the specific timeframes outlined in departmental policies
Develop a process for soliciting formal feedback from external offices on the quality of law enforcement activity
- These stakeholders include prosecutor’s offices, public defender’s offices, and judges
Complete reports within the timeframes outlined by departmental policies
Make an analysis of data, departmental policies, and reports available to the public
- These reports could also be posted online when reasonable
The above findings from Civil Rights litigation come from each city's consent decree below. Use the following links to access the entire language from each city’s consent decree.
The information provided above has come directly from the consent decree language, which can be accessed by clicking on each corresponding city’s consent decree. When additional information was needed, subject-matter experts from the Department of Justice provided input. This information is intended to guide departments on decisions and actions to improve their Constitutional policing practices. Additional resources and information may be needed to implement these recommendations successfully. For assistance in implementing recommendations, contact the Knowledge Lab team.