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La Cygne approves updated 'Use of Force' policies, buys vehicle cameras and equips officers
Summary
Council adopted updated SOP 16a/16b allowing taser use and approved purchase of three vehicle camera systems and new department firearms and a shotgun; several training requests for officers were approved.
La Cygne's City Council and Police Department moved in 2014 to update policy, equipment, and training for the department.
At the Jan. 2 meeting Police Chief Tate West presented an updated Use of Force policy (SOP 16a) and an addendum for tasers (SOP 16b). Council adopted SOP 16a and SOP 16b on motions passed 5-0; the minutes note the council accepted the text with grammatical corrections to be made later. "This is specific to [the] tasers and in reviewing the city's police policy the last revision was in the '90s," Chief West said when presenting the change.
The department also received approval to buy three FirstVu vehicle camera systems for $5,005 plus shipping; that motion passed 5-0 (Jan. 2). Later in the year the council authorized purchase of firearms for officers (four Glocks and one Mossberg shotgun) to standardize equipment and reduce logistics for duty firearms.
Training: the council approved attendance for officers at multiple courses — SFST, Racial & Other Biased Based Policing, LEEDS leadership training, and local human-trafficking and domestic-violence blocks — and approved tuition and travel expenses when required.
Why it matters: the policy updates, new cameras, weapons standardization, and training are intended to bring departmental policy and equipment up to current legal and operational standards. The council and chief said the measures are to improve accountability, officer safety, and evidence collection.
Provenance: SOP adoptions, camera purchase, firearms purchases, and training authorizations are recorded across the minutes (SOP 16a/16b adoption SEG 032–035; camera purchase SEG 013–016; firearms purchase SEG 443; training approvals SEG 437–442).
