Law Enforcement Leaders Examine New Use of Force Principles

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 200 law enforcement leaders are considering new rules to change how officers use force that they say could significantly remake how policing in the United States has been done for decades.

Police officers in Dallas will soon be taught to move backward during target practice and some officers will carry sponge projectiles instead of guns.

In Camden, New Jersey, officers are taught about the sanctity of life and encouraged to defuse a situation, even if a suspect is wildly waving a knife at them.

The recommendations from the Police Executive Research Forum instruct officers to respond proportionally and consider the public's reaction.

(Story by: Tami Abdollah, The Associated Press)