Cities and states look to crack down on 'less-lethal' weapons used by police

[TexasTowelie]

By Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News, and Kevin McCoy and Donovan Slack, USA TODAY


Following nationwide protests against police brutality in which law enforcement officers wounded or blinded protesters, state and local lawmakers and an international police association are taking steps to restrict the use of “less-lethal” weapons that caused the injuries.

At least seven major U.S. cities and a few states have enacted or proposed tight limits on the use of rubber bullets and other projectiles, though some efforts for similar actions have stalled in the face of opposition from police agencies or other critics. In Colorado, the Law Enforcement Accountability and Integrity Act, signed by Gov. Jared Polis on June 19, restricts use of projectiles and chemical agents or irritants, in addition to providing other forms of police accountability.

Additionally, clashes between law enforcement officers and protesters in Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., have triggered investigations by federal inspectors general.

After the George Floyd protests, “there was this new appetite from legislators at all levels of government to look at how to better protect protesters,” said Nick Robinson, legal adviser at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law.

Read more: https://coloradonewsline.com/2020/09/04/cities-and-states-look-to-crack-down-on-less-lethal-weapons-used-by-police/