Arizona State of Arizona, House of Representatives, Fifty-fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session, 2022 passed HB 2650 with bipartisan support. ARS 41-1762 states, "effective June 30, 2025, each law enforcement agency in this state shall require the Major Incident Division [of the Arizona Department of Public Safety], a regional law enforcement task force or another law enforcement agency to perform the criminal investigation of any critical force incidents in this state."
Phoenix In May 2021 the city of
Phoenix formed the Office of Accountability in Transparency, which investigates
Phoenix Police shootings, in-custody deaths, and duty-related incidents where a person dies or suffers serious injury.
Arkansas On June 9, 2020,
Arkansas Governor
Asa Hutchinson signed an executive order to create a police task force to “deal with police training, certification, and standards.” The purpose of the task force is to study and review policies of de-certification, community policing, and recommended means of "enhancing the trust of law enforcement." California Attorney General
Xavier Becerra has recommended nine key reforms for local police departments in California, including banning the use of chokeholds, requiring officers to de-escalate situations and give verbal warning before using force, and requiring officers to intervene to stop another officer from using excessive force.
Berkeley On June 9, 2020, the city of
Berkeley permanently banned police from using tear gas.
Davis On June 6, 2020, the
Davis Police Department announced that it would prohibit officers from using chokeholds, and would require officers to intervene when observing colleagues using improper levels of force.
Los Angeles On June 3, 2020,
Los Angeles Mayor
Eric Garcetti has said he would cut as much as $150 million from the
Los Angeles Police Department's budget, a reversal of his planned increase of $120 million. Garcetti announced the funds would be redirected to community initiatives.
San Diego On June 1, 2020,
San Diego Police Department announced an immediate ban on carotid
chokeholds, which starve the brain of oxygen. Similarly, San Diego resident and Brazilian jiu-jitsu World Champion Andre Galvão called for all first responders to be trained in grappling to avoid fatalities.
San Francisco On June 11, 2020, the city of
San Francisco announced plans for police to stop responding to non-criminal activities such as neighbor disputes, reports on homeless people, and school discipline interventions. Under the proposal, police will be replaced with trained and non-armed professionals.
Vallejo Touro University California banned the
Vallejo Police Department from using its campus for training. The university's decision came after the
shooting of Sean Monterrosa and after the release of a statement from the Vallejo
police union which criticized protests of the killing by police.
Denver On June 7, 2020,
Denver Police Department banned the use of chokeholds without exception and established new reporting requirements whenever a police officer points a gun at a person. The department will also require its SWAT teams to activate body cameras during tactical operations. On July 31, 2020, Governor Lamont signed into law a sweeping police accountability bill. The bill increased state oversight of police officers, strengthened the use-of-force standard, banned consent searches in traffic stops, established an Inspector General to investigate police shootings, and weakened
qualified immunity protections for officers.
Hartford In June 2020 the
Hartford City Council voted to reduce the Hartford Police Department's budget and reallocate some funds to social services.
District of Columbia On June 10, 2020,
Washington, D.C. Mayor
Muriel Bowser announced that she would sign the
D.C. Council's emergency legislation to ban the use of neck restraints, tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and stun grenades by police. The council has also passed legislation regarding the release of body camera footage.
Tampa In June 2020
Tampa Mayor
Jane Castor announced that the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement would investigate all
Tampa Police Department shootings as opposed to the Tampa Police Department themselves. Castor also announced officers would officially be required to intervene if they witnessed excessive force and chokeholds were banned, two policies she stated were already in practice unofficially.
Georgia Atlanta On June 15, 2020,
Atlanta Mayor
Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a series of administrative orders for police reform, including requirements for reporting deadly force and for training and use of de-escalation techniques.
Illinois Chicago On June 15, 2020,
Chicago Mayor
Lori Lightfoot announced the creation of a task force to review the
Chicago Police Department's use of force policies. Lightfoot said the department overhauled its policies after the
DOJ's oversight agreement and scathing report following the
murder of Laquan McDonald but also said it was worth checking if the policies have withstood “the test of time.”
Gary On June 11, 2020,
Gary Mayor Jerome Prince established a police reform commission to evaluate the police department's use of force practices and policies.
Iowa On June 12, 2020,
Iowa Governor
Kim Reynolds signed a police reform bill that bans chokeholds with certain exceptions, and prohibits the police from hiring convicted felons. The bill also requires police to take annual anti-bias and deescalation training for and allows the prosecution of officers for a criminal offense resulting in the death of a human being.
Kentucky Louisville On June 11, 2020, the
Louisville Metro Council unanimously passed
Breonna's Law to ban the use of no-knock warrants and requiring police to turn their body cameras on before carrying out a search. The law is named after Breonna Taylor, who was
killed during a no-knock search by police in
Louisville in March 2020. The public outcry after her death has been a significant part of the Black Lives Matter protests which gained intensity after the murder of George Floyd.
Kansas Wichita The
Wichita Police Department added "new language" to its policies on chokeholds, officers intervening in excessive force, and rendering aid.
Louisiana New Orleans In June, 2020,
New Orleans Chief of Police Shaun Ferguson announced that the New Orleans Police Department would be adopting several new policy changes in an effort to address community concerns. In alignment with the
#8cantwait movement, changes included officers being required to employ de-escalation tactics exhaustively before announcing to discharge weapons, the use of chokeholds being banned, and requiring officers to intervene and stop excessive force used by other officers; reporting these incidents immediately to a supervisor.
Maryland On April 10, 2021, the
Maryland General Assembly overrode Governor
Larry Hogan's vetoes to enact comprehensive policing reforms. Changes to the state laws and policies include limits to no-knock warrants, body camera requirements, and a repeal of the state's police Bill of Rights.
Baltimore County The Baltimore County Council passed legislation that bans police from using chokeholds, encourages officers to intervene if they witness excessive force, and provides whistleblower protection to officers who report excessive force.
Massachusetts In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, State Senate President
Karen Spilka announced the creation of a racial justice advisory group led by State Senators
Sonia Chang-Diaz and
William Brownsberger to draft legislation in response to
police brutality, which was subsequently passed and signed into law by Governor
Charlie Baker. This sweeping police reform law,
An Act relative to justice, equity and accountability in law enforcement in the Commonwealth, pioneers multiple novel approaches to police reform. For example, the law created a first-in-the-nation
civilian-led commission to standardize the certification and decertification of police officers, with the power to conduct independent investigations into police misconduct,
Michigan On May 28,
Michigan State Senator
Jeff Irwin introduced Senate Bill 945 which would require the addition of "implicit bias, de-escalation techniques, and mental health screening" as part of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards certification process for new law enforcement officers. The bill was drafted before the murder of George Floyd in response to the broader problem of
police brutality. It passed the State Senate unanimously on June 4.
Detroit On August 27, 2020, the
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners announced
Detroit Police would be banned from using chokeholds. They also announced restrictions on firing at and from a moving vehicle, requirements for officers to report excessive force, and measures for reporting when officers threaten to use force.
Minnesota On July 21, 2020, the Minnesota state legislature passed major police reform legislation. However, the law also bans the old warrior training program, which was regarded as dehumanizing people and encouraging aggressive conduct. The police reform legislation was signed into law by Minnesota Governor
Tim Walz on July 23, 2020.
Minneapolis , June 4 The 2020 protests were a reaction to the murder of George Floyd by a
Minneapolis police officer, increasing public scrutiny of its law enforcement policies. On June 5, 2020, the
Minneapolis City Council and the
Minnesota Department of Human Rights agreed to a temporary restraining order requiring Minneapolis to update its procedures to ban chokeholds and other neck restraints by police, such as the one an officer used when murdering George Floyd. The order also required police officers to report and intervene against the use of excessive force by other officers, and required authorization from the police chief or deputy police chiefs before using crowd-control weapons such as chemical agents and rubber bullets. Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council a veto-proof majority pledged on June 7 to dismantle the city's police department, despite opposition from the city's mayor,
Jacob Frey. On June 26, 2020, a proposed amendment was approved by the Minneapolis City Council On August 5, 2020, the Minneapolis City Charter Commission cancelled plans to put the proposed city charter amendment which was passed by the Minneapolis City Council on the November 2020 ballot. The
University of Minnesota and
Minneapolis Public Schools changed their relationship with the city's police force, with the city's school board voting to cut ties with the department. The
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board also voted unanimously to have the
park police cut ties with the city's police force, and to change park police uniforms and vehicles to distinguish them from Minneapolis police. On June 10, 2020, Police Chief
Medaria Arradondo announced the police department was withdrawing from union contract negotiations as a first step towards police reforms. On December 10, 2020, the city council voted to redirect $8 million of the police budget towards community alternatives while keeping the current number of police officers in the department. In the years following the murder, the
US Department of Justice and the
Minnesota Department of Human Rights launched investigations into discriminatory policing by Minneapolis PD. Reports were released by the state in April 2022 and the DoJ in June 2023. As a result of these investigations, a court-enforceable
consent decree between Minneapolis and the State of Minnesota went into effect in July 2023, mandating that the Minneapolis Police Department enact a series of changes to address race-based policing. The investigations were ended by the DOJ in 2025.
Missouri Kansas City On June 4, 2020,
Kansas City Mayor
Quinton Lucas announced a series of police reforms, including whistleblower protections, independent review of officer-involved shootings, and use of body cameras by police officers.
Nebraska Omaha Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer and
Omaha Mayor
Jean Stothert announced several changes to the department's use of force policy. The reforms require officers to intervene in excessive force cases, bans knee-to-neck restraints, and requires new training for all officers starting in July 2020.
New Jersey On June 5, 2020,
New Jersey banned the use of chokeholds and similar restraints except when "deadly force is necessary to address an imminent threat to life". New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo signed the bills into law on June 12 at a ceremony including Valerie Bell and
Gwen Carr (mothers of
Sean Bell and
Eric Garner, respectively), NAACP President
Hazel Dukes, and
Al Sharpton. On June 12, Cuomo also signed an executive order mandating that all police departments get local government approval for a reform plan by April 1, 2021, in order to continue to be eligible for state funding. The legislation will change reporting requirements for police discharge of firearms, will require courts to compile demographic data on policing, and will ensure that police provide medical and mental health assistance when individuals in police custody require assistance.
Buffalo On June 10, 2020,
Buffalo Mayor
Byron Brown announced a series of police reforms, including policy changes for body cameras and the policing of non-violent offenses, requirements of de-escalation and bias training, and the establishment of a special commission to examine police policies and procedures.
New York City On June 7, 2020,
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that funds would be reallocated from the NYPD into youth and social services. De Blasio did not specify how much funding would be diverted but expressed intent to work with the City Council to come up with a plan before the July 1 budget deadline. On June 18, 2020, the
New York City Council passed a series of police reforms, including a bill to criminalize the use of chokeholds by the
New York Police Department (NYPD), legislation with enough support to overcome a mayoral veto after it stalled after the
killing of Eric Garner. As the city's June 30 budget deadline approached, protesters convened in City Hall Park to "Occupy City Hall", filling the park day and night to call for reducing the NYPD budget. On June 30, the City Council passed a budget which removes $1 billion from the NYPD. It cancels plans to hire 1,160 new police and transfers responsibility to monitor vending, homeless populations, and schools to other entities. According to the
New York Times, the details of the budget "seemed to please no one". Those seeking reforms to policing did not think it went far enough, while others pointed to increasing crime rates in the city at the time. The budget does not halt a different wave of police hiring planned for October, while it does continue a freeze on many other city employees like teachers. Jumaane Williams cited an obscure law requiring the Public Advocate to authorize collection of real estate taxes, and threatened not to do so if the next class of officers was not also canceled.
North Carolina Charlotte On June 8, 2020, the
Charlotte City Council passed Braxton Winston's legislation to ban the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department from funding new or existing chemical agents used in crowd control and dispersal, such as tear gas. The council also established a standing committee to scrutinize and adjust police spending and policy.
Raleigh On June 9, 2020,
Raleigh Mayor
Mary-Ann Baldwin announced the ban of chokeholds, strangleholds, and shooting at moving vehicles. Baldwin also announced a de-escalation requirement and an independent review of the response to protests the week prior.
Ohio Columbus Columbus mayor
Andrew Ginther issued an executive order requiring all fatal incidents involving police in Columbus to be investigated by the
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Oklahoma Oklahoma City In September 2022
Oklahoma City mayor
David Holt announced a series of reforms. Among them include a review of the de-escalation policy and the creation of a dedicated response team to mental health crises.
Oregon Portland On June 5, 2020,
Portland Public Schools cancelled its school resource officers program with the Portland Police Bureau. On June 9, 2020,
Portland Mayor
Ted Wheeler announced a series of police reforms, including disbanding the gun violence reduction unit, ending city officers' participation in the Transit Police, and reallocating money saved plus $5 million on initiatives "to help build the health, wealth and well-being of black people in Portland."
Portland State University announced in 2020 that it would disarm its campus officers and began unarmed patrols in September 2021. However, in April 2023, it announced that it had begun "allowing officers to arm at their discretion".
Pennsylvania On June 8, 2020, members of the
Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus took over the floor of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives to protest police brutality and demand action on a series of police reform bills. On June 30, The
Pennsylvania General Assembly unanimously approved two bills that would bring about the largest changes to Pennsylvania policing in 40 years. The first requires a thorough background check of applicants and establishes an electronic database that contains records if an officer separated from any previous departments. The second requires mental health evaluations with a focus on
PTSD and training for officers on
trauma-Informed care,
use of force,
de-escalation techniques, and recognizing signs of
child abuse and
childhood trauma. Governor
Tom Wolf signed these two measures into law on July 14.
Philadelphia In September 2020 the
Philadelphia City Council approved measures that would ban chokeholds and kneeling on a person's neck.
Rhode Island As part of Governor
Gina Raimondo's "Rise Together" directive, the
Rhode Island State Police agreed to obtain and wear body cameras. All 48 local police chiefs in the state signed a pledge to do the same and to increase anti-bias training and diversity of hiring.
Tennessee House Democrats in
Tennessee introduced the "George Floyd Act," a series of police reform amendments, but the bill is on hold until a Senate bill is heard in December 2020.
Texas Austin On June 11, 2020, the
Austin City Council unanimously approved a series of police reforms, including a ban on the use of "less lethal" munitions during protests, restrictions on the use of deadly force, and a direction to the city manager to propose reductions to the police department's budget in 2021. Ultimately, the department's budget was reduced by $150 million with the money being reinvested into various initiatives like violence prevention, food access, and abortion access.
Dallas On June 5, 2020, the
Dallas Police Department implemented "duty to intervene" policy that required officers to act if they witnessed fellow officers using excessive force. Furthermore, the city council approved a $7 million cut in the Dallas Police Department's overtime budget to reinvest in other initiatives.
Houston On June 10, 2020,
Houston Mayor
Sylvester Turner signed an executive order that limited the police ability to use excessive force and no-knock raids.
Utah Salt Lake City Salt Lake City Mayor
Erin Mendenhall signed an executive order changing several policies, including duty for officers to intervene if they witness excessive force and requiring written or filmed consent from an owner if searching a vehicle without a warrant.
Virginia Norfolk The
Norfolk City council agreed on a series of changes, which would ban high speed police chases unless they involve a felony that resulted in serious injury or death, petitions the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services to end the mandate of officers being trained to use carotid chokeholds, and publishes
Norfolk Police Department policy and procedures.
Washington Bellevue The City of
Bellevue announced on June 5, 2020, that it would no longer allow neck restraints.
Seattle Following a large and peaceful demonstration on June 3, 2020, the City of
Seattle announced several changes to its policing protocols, including restrictions on badge coverings for officers. City Attorney
Pete Holmes announced that the city would withdraw its request to lift a federal
consent decree that had been imposed following a DOJ investigation in 2012. The city government also announced a 30-day ban on the use of
tear gas by police on protesters in response to outcry from Capitol Hill residents who had been affected by its use. The ban did not apply to
SWAT and other special officers, however, and tear gas was used the following day. On June 9, 2020, Seattle Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau announced that a resolution would be put to the school board to reevaluate the relationship between Seattle Schools and the Seattle Police Department regarding four School Emphasis Officers, employed and paid by the City of Seattle and one SPD School Resource Officer, also paid by the city. On June 15, 2020,
Seattle City Council passed
Kshama Sawant's legislation to ban the use of chokeholds, including neck and carotid restraints. The lawmakers also passed Sawant's ban on the use of crowd weapons by police, including tear gas, acoustic weapons, and water cannons, as well as
Lisa Herbold's ban on badge mourning bands.
Tacoma On June 16, the
Tacoma Police Department announced a commitment to reforms in line with the
8 Can't Wait campaign. Police Chief Don Ramsdell said the department already had five of the eight requirements, but would commit to the other three: a ban on chokeholds, duty of officers to intervene when seeing others use excessive force, and require verbal warnings before use of deadly force.
Wisconsin Milwaukee The
Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission passed a complete ban on chokeholds and other neck restraints. In addition, the
Milwaukee Police Department requires officers to file a report whenever they point a gun at someone, bans use of pepper spray at peaceful protests, requires officers determine if an alternative restraint can be used if the restrained says they can't breathe, and requires officers roll a person on their side or a sitting position once they are handcuffed.
Racine On June 11, 2020, leaders of
Racine unanimously agreed to establish the Mayor's Task Force on Police Reform.
Wauwatosa Several months after the
killing of Alvin Cole in Wauwatosa, the city of Wauwatosa approved funding to equip officers with body cameras. == International ==