Shreveport Police Reform Efforts Have Started

Reforms have already started in the Shreveport Police Department. Police Chief Ben Raymond says he has made some immediate changes to the use of excessive force policy.
He says some language to clarify the prohibition of choke holds and strangle holds or anything that restricts the airflow to a person's brain. The Chief says the new policy will make it clear that these tactics are strictly prohibited unless you are in a lethal force situation. Raymond says the language about getting medical attention is also being clarified. The Chief also says he is also making changes internally to the supervisory overview to make sure any cases that need to be brought to the attention of the command staff happens in a timely manner.

The Chief says he is making several immediate changes to policies and he will also be looking at several long term changes.

Chief Raymond wants to revamp the citizen's policy academy and he wants to have more town hall meetings across the city to talk about some of the many instances that are happening across the nation.

We also talked with the Chief about how he motivates officers during a time when the nation is shining a spotlight on some bad police officers. The Chief says:

Citizens need to be thankful that you've got men and women who have felt a true calling to this job. They've got thick skin and they're going to do the right thing regardless of what people say about them. It's not for everybody. A lot of people can't do this job.