Arlington Heights Police Issue New Rule Requiring Officers To Intervene If Another Officer Is Using Unreasonable Force
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) -- The police chief in Arlington Heights has gone on record making a historic change.
Chief Nick Pecora has added "duty to intervene" to the Arlington Heights Police code of conduct.
According to the new rule, any officer observing another officer using force that is clearly beyond reasonable should stop it and then notify a supervisor.
"These additions were made as a result of a suggestion forwarded by a member of the Arlington Heights community. AHPD maintains a 'Duty to Report' obligation in our Rules of Conduct. A specific directive requiring an officer to act when they observe a colleague clearly using force beyond that necessary to effect and arrest was not in print," Pecora said in a n email to CBS 2. "Upon reflection, I felt this addition to our guiding policies will make the organization stronger and allow AHPD to continue as a best practices agency."
The specific policy language is as follows:
"Any officer present and observing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which is objectively reasonable under the circumstances shall, when in a position to do so, safely intercede to prevent the use of such excessive force. Officers shall promptly report these observations and your
associated action to a supervisor. As outlined in General Order #26.1 – Rules of Conduct."
