How Tampa Bay Law Enforcement Agencies Rate For 8 Can't Wait

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Questions concerning police brutality following the death of George Floyd and the handling of protesters have prompted Tampa Bay law enforcement agencies to weigh in on how well they're meeting the "8 Can't Wait" guidelines.

An initiative of the Project Zero, an organization associated with Black Lives Matter with the goal of ending police violence, 8 Can't Wait is a national campaign urging law enforcement agencies to adopt eight policies limiting the use of force, including banning choke and strangle holds, requiring warnings before shootings, using de-escalation techniques and transparency through comprehensive reporting.

The campaign tracks every major city in the nation, taking note of which 8 Can't Wait guidelines their police departments have adopted.

Tuscon, Arizona, and San Francisco have adopted all or nearly all the campaign's initiatives, according to Project Zero, while Reno, Nevada, and Kansas City, Missouri, have adopted none of the initiatives.

The eight policies are:

• Ban choke holds and strangle holds
• Require de-escalation
• Require warning before shooting
• Require exhausts all alternatives before shooting
• Duty to intervene
• Ban shooting at moving vehicles
• Require use of force continuum
• Require comprehensive reporting

Project Zero said research has shown police departments that adopt these eight policies could decrease police violence by 72 percent.

According to Project Zero, St. Petersburg has formally adopted six of the eight policies. The city hasn't met the "duty to intervene" and "requires comprehensive reporting" guidelines.

The Tampa Police Department, according to Project Zero, has adopted only one of the eight initiatives — a ban on choke holds and strangle holds.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, former Tampa Police chief, refutes Campaign Zero's assessment.

“Tampa has had these eight policies in place for years,” Castor said during a news conference. “We have provided documentation on our website that lays out every policy, procedure, training and the legal bulletins associated with all eight.”

Courtesy City of Tampa

Clearwater, Largo and Pinellas Park police departments along with the Hillsborough and Pinellas County sheriff's offices aren't included on the 8 Can't Wait list. However, in the interest of transparency, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri compiled the policies of his office and the county's four major police department, and released them Friday.

Earlier this week, Gualtieri, Clearwater Police Chief Daniel Slaughter and members of the Upper Pinellas County Ministerial Alliance hosted a new conference to discuss ways law enforcement and the community are working together to improve community relations.

"Pinellas County law enforcement agencies are aware of our citizens' concerns and are working toward common goals and unified policies to ensure confidence between law enforcement and the citizens we serve," said Gualtieri. "Law enforcement leaders throughout Pinellas County have communicated collectively and are working together to ensure compliance with best practices."

"I commend our agency heads for working together to improve the quality of law enforcement and continually enhancing the professionalism of Pinellas County law enforcement in service of our community," Chief Luke Williams, chairman of the Pinellas Police Standards Council and chief of the Pinellas County Schools Police, said.

Click below to review the policies:

Pinellas County Sheriff's Policies

Clearwater Police Policies

Pinellas Park Police Policies

Largo Police Policies

St. Petersburg Police Policies

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has also released his office's policies related to 8 Can't Wait.

“We see and feel the anger as we try to protect peaceful protests. I hope the 8 Can’t Wait conversation will help us turn the page from destroying buildings and stealing from businesses to a meaningful discussion on how we make progress together," Chronister said.

"We, as law enforcement officers, owe it to our community to share our policies and procedures. We have always done so and will continue," he said "We have developed extensive use-of-force restrictions and de-escalation techniques for our team. We want the public to know what our deputies are trained to do and how this keeps our community safe. My promise is simply this -- we will continue to listen to the concerns of our citizens and strive to become an even stronger agency by working together."

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