The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) - City police officers will soon carry batons as part of the department’s agreement with federal authorities to change the way it uses force.
The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners unanimously approved a policy for collapsible batons Thursday night. Officers will start receiving training in using the weapons as soon as they are purchased, said Assistant Police Chief Walter Shoulders.
“I don’t anticipate a long, drawn-out process,” Shoulders told the Detroit Free Press. “It’s to our benefit to get them in as quick as we can.”
The lightweight, collapsible batons can expand up to 2 feet long with a push of a button.
In June 2003, the department entered into two consent decrees, or court-enforceable agreements, with the U.S. Justice Department to change its use of force and witness detention procedures. Among the requirements is that the department provide nonfatal weapons to its officers.
The department is still considering other possibilities, including stun guns.
About 300 officers in the metropolitan unit, which includes tactical services and tactical operations, already carry the batons. The department has about 3,800 sworn officers.