National criminal justice reform advocates created the #8cantwait campaign at 8cantwait.org regarding eight policies intended to reduce violent interactions involving police officers.

Below is a brief analysis of Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) policies in comparison with the #8cantwait list. (Click here for a printable flyer.)

In general, narrow exceptions included in OKCPD policies allow officers to act differently in extreme situations. For example, an officer arriving to an active shooting scene who encounters a shooter firing into a crowd could immediately use deadly force. You can see our full Policy and Procedure Manual here.

Ban chokeholds and strangleholds: Not authorized

The use of any chokehold and/or neck restraint is not and will not be authorized by our department as an approved custody and/or control tactic. Officers are prohibited from applying any chokehold or restraint technique to the neck or throat area of persons they encounter. 

Require de-escalation: Required by OKCPD Procedure 153.0 “De-Escalation”

The Oklahoma City Police Department has had a formalized de-escalation procedure since 2017.  This procedure requires the use of de-escalation on every use of force. De-escalation is evaluated independent from the use of force itself to determine if appropriate tactics were used to try and diffuse the situation. 

Require warning before shooting: Established in OKCPD Policy 554.50 “Deadly Force Restrictions”

If circumstances permit, a warning should be given prior to the use of deadly force. There are some circumstances where this is not possible.

Require officers to exhaust all alternatives before shooting: Established in OKCPD Policy 554.20 “General Use of Force Requirements”

Officers shall only use the degree of force as permitted by law. The force used must be reasonably necessary based on the totality of the circumstances. "Reasonably necessary" means all other means to accomplish the desired action have been reasonably exhausted or would be ineffective under the circumstances.

Duty to intervene: Established in OKCPD Policy 554.70 “Intervening to Prevent Excessive Force”

In December 2019, we updated our use of force policy to mirror state law, which requires an officer to intervene when they witness another officer using excessive force. Prior to this, we relied on the state law that allowed us to file criminal charges against an officer who failed to intervene; however, it has now been added to our policy.

Ban shooting at moving vehicles: Established in OKCPD Policy 554.50 “Deadly Force Restrictions”

Our officers are not authorized to shoot at moving vehicles unless the officer or another person is being fired upon or threatened to be fired upon, or when a vehicle is being used as a weapon. An example of this is driving a vehicle into a crowd during an act of terrorism, which has occurred in other cities throughout the last several years.   

Require use of force continuum: Required training

The Oklahoma City Police Department uses a Use of Force Options Matrix (continuum) as part of our use of force training. The matrix identifies appropriate use of force options for officers based on the actions of the person they are interacting with. This is mandatory training for all officers and is a fundamental part of training new officers when and how to apply force appropriately.

Require comprehensive reporting: Required by OKCPD Procedure 150.0 “Use of Force Investigations”

Use of force investigations are conducted in every use of force incident. A use of force is classified as any amount of force that exceeds routine handcuffing, escorting, or searching a person. A use of force investigation is not routinely conducted when there is no resistance by the person being handcuffed, escorted or searched, or when minimal restraint devices are applied without resistance. 

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