City of OKC

Recommendation No. 4:

OKCPD should formalize and strengthen Force Review Board to review uses of force for lessons learned.

OKCPD should formalize and strengthen its Force Review Board to holistically review uses of force for lessons learned, including policy, training, supervision, and equipment, and de-escalation.

Project Status: 40% Implemented

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Project Details from Consultant Report

Currently, OKCPD utilizes a Use of Force Screening Committee, which, as explained in the Operations Manual, is:

...responsible for reviewing all uses of force for compliance with written directives. The Use of Force Screening Committee is also responsible for reviewing all intentional uses of vehicles as force, such as instances of ramming. The Use of Force Screening Committee shall consist of three majors assigned by the Chief of Police on a rotating schedule.

Notably, the department has demonstrated a commitment to examining de-escalation as part of the work of the Screening Committee. The department reports that:

A de-escalation review assesses whether an officer appropriately used de-escalation tactics and techniques during a given incident. Leadership can simultaneously identify and understand individual officers’ use of de- escalation, and any patterns that reveal gaps in training, by reviewing the use of de-escalation.

In 2020, appropriate de-escalation tactics were applied in 470 out of 527 incidents, or 89.2% of the time. When de-escalation was deemed inappropriate and no other misconduct was identified, officers received a training review on de-escalation tactics and techniques. One officer received a written reprimand.

Many departments fail to identify any failures to de-escalate, so while there is clear room for improvement in outcomes, the department should be lauded for taking the review of de-escalation seriously and regularly referring officers for re-training. Again, 21CP did not engage in any case reviews to fully appraise these efforts, but on the surface they look promising.

However, the department should formalize the Screening Committee process and ensure that representatives from disciplines such as dispatch, training, and crisis intervention are present and that the review process is not just policy compliance, but a complete review of the incident to find any lessons that might improve outcomes in future events. We understand that some of these disciplines are included in the current committee reviews, but they should be enshrined in policy to ensure consistency and continuity moving forward. This recommendation dovetails with the division of force into logical “levels,” and many departments focus their use of force reviews on higher-level cases as well as some random sample of lower-level cases. For more serious uses of force, the department should also consider adding a non-voting civilian observer to witness the review and provide community perspectives.

Additionally, the department states:

If the committee finds the employee’s actions were anything other than unanimously justified and appropriate, the investigation is referred to the deputy chief of the affected bureau for disposition.

Given the seriousness of any unjustified and inappropriate use of force, 21CP recommends that all such cases be rereferred to Professional Standards.