Lynchburg, Va. – Lynchburg Police wanted to pass along the following message to the community:
The Lynchburg Police Department wants to thank our community for their commitment to expressing their frustrations peacefully after multiple nonviolent protests since June 2, 2020.
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There are additional protests scheduled for this weekend, and the LPD looks forward to continued peaceful demonstrations in our city.
As a reminder, anyone organizing a parade, meeting, assembly, or procession in Lynchburg should complete a permit application to ensure the City has the appropriate resources available for the safety of those attending. This application is available at www.lynchburgva.gov/parade-permit-requests. Individuals organizing an event in a City park should complete an application, which is available at www.lynchburgparksandrec.com/special-events-faq.
The powerful movement toward uniting our community and moving forward together is in progress. The LPD will listen and seeks to understand the concerns of our community so we can create positive change in our department and the City.
We are committed to working with our community to implement these changes. Over the past week, we have had long conversations with our Community Policing Advisory Group (CPAG) and members of our community to begin that process. We know that there is always room for improvement in any organization, including ours. We will continue our regular meetings with CPAG and are also looking at additional ways we can engage our community to ensure all voices are heard as we move forward. Information on these conversations is forthcoming.
While we are looking at how we can further develop reviews of Use of Force incidents and complaints with CPAG, we have made some immediate changes this week. We are still in the process of formally updating policy, however, the following became effective Wednesday, June 10, 2020 and serves as an operational memorandum until the appropriate written directives can be updated.
- Use of Force
- The Lynchburg Police Department has banned the use of chokeholds for at least the last 50 years. Sworn employees are never authorized to use the chokehold technique or any type of neck restraint unless deadly force is authorized.
- Duty to Intervene: Sworn employees have an obligation to protect the public and other employees.
- It shall be the duty of every sworn employee present at any scene where physical force is being applied to either stop or attempt to stop another sworn employee when force is being inappropriately applied or is no longer required.
- It shall be the duty of every sworn employee who witnesses inappropriate action by another officer to report that inappropriate action as soon as possible.
- Body-Worn Camera Systems: All sworn employees, including specialty units such as the Tactical Unit and Crisis Negotiation Team, must wear and activate their body-worn camera (BWC) system anytime they interact with a member of the public as outlined in PD17(2)-0408 Body Worn Camera System.
We remain dedicated to partnering with and protecting our great city. As we move forward with implementing changes in the department, we want to hear our community’s perspective and ask for patience as we ensure these updates are thoroughly thought through, properly vetted, and in the best interest of our City.