Overview
- The city and attorney John Burris finalized a 55-page settlement on Friday that pairs earlier $4.6 million payments to 23 plaintiffs with enforceable departmental reforms.
- Reforms include enhanced training, an independent review board for complaints, an independent monitor, an early-warning system to flag problem officers, and tighter complaint procedures.
- New policies set explicit limits on force, including banning head strikes absent no reasonable alternative, and require databases and audits that track K-9 deployments and other force incidents.
- The agreement takes effect under court oversight for two years once full compliance is achieved, with possible extension if benchmarks remain unmet after five years.
- The accord follows federal probes that revealed racist messages involving 45 officers and produced convictions, including a seven-years-six-months sentence for Devon Wenger and a seven-year term for Morteza Amiri, with Eric Rombough due for sentencing on Jan. 13.