Mayor, Chief: New APD Policies Aimed At Deadly Force

APD will take more of a support role in out-of-jurisdiction incidents than it has in the past, Police Chief Ray Schultz announced at a news conference this afternoon.

The new policy follows two out-of-town incidents in which APD officers fatally shot suspects. Read about those incidents here and here.

Schultz said APD tactical units are often called to assist in out-of-jurisdiction incidents — in particular the department’s SWAT and other tactical units. Officers working in those divisions will receive training on how to operate in a “support role,” rather than in the “lead role,” as APD has often done in the past.

Also at the news conference, Schultz and Mayor Richard Berry announced that officers will be asking citizens who call police for their email addresses so that APD can send them a survey along with a police report. The survey will ask people to rate the service they received from officers.

The chief and mayor also discussed two new initiatives aimed at how APD deals with people living with mental illness, which you can read about here.