“So much is going on in our country, and it is one of the most challenging times I can remember in my career,” Spivey said during a June 22 presentation.
The briefing focused on policies but also touched on recruitment, hiring, training, community engagement, communication and transparency.
Spivey condemned the force used on George Floyd, who died May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while in police custody.
“There is no way, shape, form or fashion that this is anything that professional law enforcement or any community in the United States should tolerate,” Spivey said.
Officers are banned from using chokeholds unless the use of deadly force is necessary, Spivey said. All other alternatives, including de-escalation and a verbal warning that the officer is planning to shoot, must be exhausted before lethal force is allowed.
Officers in Richardson have a duty to intervene when they see colleagues using excessive force, Spivey said.
Criminal and internal affairs investigations are conducted in the event that deadly force is used, Spivey said. The department also requires officers to fill out a specific report following the use of non-deadly force, he added.
Spivey emphasized that officers hired in Richardson are carefully selected and screened.
“Policing expectations in Richardson are different than policing expectations in another city,” he said.
The department does not require officers to have a college degree; however, candidates must take an exam and be interviewed by the board prior to hiring. They are also subject to extensive background investigations.
Once hired, officers go through 918 hours of training, which include courses in professional policing, racial profiling and de-escelation strategies. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement only requires 696 hours of training, according to Spivey.
Officers must also complete 40 hours of continuing education each year. The statewide standard is 40 hours every two years, Spivey said.
A webpage with relevant information, including the department’s use of force and racial profiling policies, was recently launched to increase transparency, Spivey said.
“This is our first blush at reading the tea leaves [about] what people want to see from us,” Spivey said.
