Police officers in New Jersey have a new set of rules to follow when facing situations where an individual has barricaded themselves.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin on Thursday issued a new directive that includes requiring officers who first respond to a barricaded individual to wait for specialized resources to arrive rather than attempting to force a resolution. It also requires that tactical and crisis negotiation teams identify mental health professionals to assist with the situation; and that tactical teams be equipped with “less lethal” weapons, such as Tasers.
“Our goal is to provide first-responders with the tools to slow and stabilize these standoffs, empowering officers to navigate the dangerous first minutes of these encounters, so proper resources can be deployed to intervene and resolve the situations safely without force, significant injuries, or death,” Platkin said in a statement.
The directive comes after the fatal police shooting of 25-year-old Victoria Lee in Fort Lee last month, though the attorney general’s office did not indicate if that shooting influenced the timing of the directive.
Police had been sent to Lee’s apartment after her brother called 911 seeking medical assistance for Lee, who was experiencing a mental health crisis. Police body-camera footage released last week shows Fort Lee police officers quickly deciding to enter Lee’s apartment, prepared to use lethal force. Lee was shot within seconds of the apartment door being opened.
Lee’s family on Thursday issued its first public statement since the body-camera footage was released. In the statement, the family said that Lee posed no serious threat to officers and that they had only been seeking help for her. The family said Fort Lee police acted in a “rash and needlessly aggressive” manner and disregarded the family’s requests. The family continues to urge the attorney general’s office to complete a full investigation, and for the officers involved to be held accountable.
You can read the Lee family’s full statement here.
