LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A panel of experts, officials, and activists discussed de-escalation tactics and the use of force by police at the Mob Museum on Tuesday night.
“There’s sort of a new police criticism which is aggressively looking at things like the excessive force claims against police officers and incidents of people being killed,” said Frank Rudy Cooper, professor at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law and director of their program on race, gender and policing.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Shootings involving Las Vegas valley police officers | 2019
He believes a big portion in tackling this issue is both sides hearing each other, and police departments remaining involved in the neighborhoods they serve.
“People are thinking about safety in their communities but their also thinking about being treated with respect when they deal with police officers," said Cooper.
"It’s a hard job, but we are giving folks a gun and a badge and saying, 'You can go out and represent me in the community.' I want to make sure the community feels that it's protected,” Cooper said.
The most recent shooting involving a Las Vegas valley police department was on Oct 21 in Henderson.
