At its monthly board meeting on Wednesday October 27, the Community Oversight Board (COB) voted to approve an expedited policy advisory report with two recommendations regarding the reporting of soft empty-hand control by Metro Nashville Police (MNPD) officers. Soft empty-hand control includes pain compliance, pressure points, controlled takedowns, joint manipulation, or grabbing a subject in response to resistance. This report follows earlier recommendations to track soft empty-hand control from both the COB and Mayor Cooper’s Policing Policy Commission, but provides additional specificity to the recommendations.
Currently, MNPD policy does not require officers to submit a written use of force report when they use soft empty-hand control tactics, unless an injury occurs. In contrast, over half of the 50 largest police departments in the United States do require reporting of soft empty-hand control tactics regardless of whether an injury is reported. In cities where these incidents are reported, between 1 in 6 to as high as 1 in 3 use of force incidents have soft empty-hand control as the highest level of force. These incidents would not require a written use of force report for MNPD.
Executive Director Jill Fitcheard said, “I am delighted that the Community Oversight Board members approved this report and want to thank the COB research team for working hard on this endeavor. The Board recognized the importance of MNPD tracking soft empty-hand control interactions between citizens and police officers, which is in line with dozens of other police departments across the country. We believe that in order to build meaningful reforms in policing, transparency and accountability are essential. Tracking this information will provide an evidence base that will help us develop policies that create long-term systemic and structural change. We heard from many community members supporting the recommendations who believe that they will help build trust between the police and community.”
The COB issued two recommendations to MNPD. The first recommendation would require the reporting of soft empty-hand control tactics used to overcome resistance when there is no allegation of an injury. The reporting process should begin as soon as possible, but no later than January 1, 2022. The COB recommends this reporting occur through a new Form 108-S, a short form of MNPD’s standard use of force form, Form 108 and produce a publicly available quarterly and annual use of force report for all uses of force above the proposed threshold. A third proposed recommendation to the Metropolitan Council was deferred for consideration at the COB’s December 20 meeting.
The report, “COB Recommendation to Require Reporting of Soft Empty-Hand Control”, can be found in the Policy Advisory Reports section of the COB’s website.