Fredericksburg Police Adopt ‘8 Can’t Wait’ Reform Measures

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The Fredericksburg Police Department is holding a series of community outreach events where its members will meet with the public to discuss enhancements and improvements to its policing efforts in response to demonstrations in the city calling for racial justice and the implementation of police reform measures.

At the department's first outreach event Wednesday, Fredericksburg Police Chief Brian Layton announced the department's adoption of "8 Can’t Wait," a national police reform campaign that highlights eight policy changes police departments can make to reduce the number of negative police incidents.

"After careful research, directive revisions, and roll call training to ensure officers understood the directive changes, the Police Department now fully complies with all eight policies advocated," the police department said Thursday in a news release.

The eight polices are: ban chokeholds and strangleholds; require de-escalation; require warning before shooting; exhaust all alternatives before shooting; duty to intervene, ban shooting at moving vehicles; establish use of force continuum; and require all force be reported.

Layton also emphasized at the outreach event that the police department is committed to completing an internal review of the use-of-force incidents that occurred in response to demonstrations that took place in the city from May 31 through June 2.

Layton is expected to receive a completed use-of-force review from the department's Professional Standards Office and a synopsis of after-action reports. The chief said he intends to provide the public with a written preliminary report about these topics on Aug. 6.

This information will then be provided to Police Executive Research Forum, a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., for a third-party review. PERF staff members plan to be in Fredericksburg for initial community engagement Aug. 25-27.

The Fredericksburg City Council voted July 14 to hire PEFF to conduct an independent review of the city's law enforcement practices and instances of use of force and arrests during demonstrations between May 31 and June 2. The review is scheduled to take between six and eight months.

The scope of work document approved by the city council on July 14 states that Fredericksburg is "a close-knit community that was collectively startled by the extraordinary events" that occurred in the city from May 31 through June 2.

"The use of tear gas to disperse the demonstrations on May 31 and the large number of curfew-related arrests on the days that followed were significant actions that have had an impact on the relationships between the City and the public at large," the document says. "An independent, third party review of these events is necessary to enhance public trust, provide transparency, objectively evaluate the City's response, and identify opportunities for improvement."

At Wednesday's event, Layton also announced that the police department is expanding its Citizens Advisory Panel, which serves as a police review panel, and will begin taking applications on Aug. 4 to fill five spots. The department wants a diverse membership on the panel that draws from a variety of groups, including young adults between the ages of 18 and 30, members of the business community, members of racial, social, or economic justice organizations, and members of the faith-based community.

The police department plans to provide more information about the application process next week on its website.

The police department is planning a second informational event for Wednesday, Aug. 19. Topics for the next informational event will be announced at a later date, the department said.

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