The Department of Homeland Security’s Use of Force Policy has been updated, a first since 2018.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the use of force policies “meet or exceed the Department of Justice guidance on use of force," set May 20, 2022, a news release said. The goal is to ensure the safety of law enforcement and communities.
“Our ability to secure the homeland rests on public trust, which is built by accountability, transparency and effectiveness in our law enforcement practices. Today’s policy announcement is designed to advance those essential values,” Mayorkas said in the release.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Law Enforcement Coordination Council and law enforcement leaders in the department made the updates, the release said.
The updates include prohibitions on the use of deadly force against a person whose actions are only a threat to themselves or property, updated requirements for data collection and reporting, restrictions on the use of chokeholds, limitations on no-knock entries, provisions for wellness resources for law enforcement officers and changes to law enforcement training, according to the release.
Department of Homeland Security agencies and offices will have their own use of force policies that meet or exceed the updated department-wide policy, the release said. The department has “nine operational law enforcement agencies with more than 80,000 law enforcement officers.”
