Eight police reform proposals

In our republican form of government, all public employees, including police officers, exercise only the powers granted them by the people. All public employees serve the citizens and are accountable to them. The powers granted to public employees are altered from time to time as the people demand.

High-profile abuses of police power in recent years have led to widespread demands for increased accountability. In this paper, attorney Chuck Douglas offers eight proposals for reforming New Hampshire police practices and making officers more accountable to the people.

The eight proposals are:

1. Make police discipline files public.
2. Outlaw chokeholds or neck compression, regardless of the circumstances.
3. Mandate body cameras and verbal warnings.
4. Require officers to intervene, stop, and report misconduct.
5. Improve screening and treatment for PTSD.
6. Pursue more and better de-escalation training.
7. Adopt better use-of-force policies that require force to be reasonable, necessary, and proportionate to the crime and circumstances.
8. End officer immunity from civil lawsuits.

You can download and read the full report (in pdf format) here: Josiah Bartlett Center Eight Police Reform Proposals