Professional Policing - Body Worn Cameras

The Wilton Manors Police Department is committed to professional policing, and increasing dialogue and transparency to better understand how we can serve the members of our community.  We remain committed to investigating allegations of misconduct, training our officers and professional staff on Implicit Bias and Cultural Competency, and learning how to better serve our LGBTQ+ community, and community at large.

“Our Island City is special!  We are special because our officers and community understand it takes a genuine partnership to make our Island City safer every day.  Understanding more about those we serve, and continuing to embrace our diverse population, will allow us to build trust with our community, and rebuild trust with those whose trust we may have lost", Chief Gary Blocker said.  

As part of WMPD's commitment to transparency, below are department policies and programs that support our commitment to "Professional Policing".

1. Body worn cameras
Officers and detectives are outfitted with body-worn cameras, and policy requires them to activate their body worn cameras prior to taking any lawful action. 

2. Ban on chokeholds
WMPD does not teach chokeholds. Officers will not use chokeholds to restrain or secure any person except in situations where deadly force is justified.

3. Require de-escalation and non-escalation techniques
De-escalation and non-escalation training is provided to all sworn law enforcement personnel as part of their annual response to resistance training.

4. Exhaust all other means before shooting
Under the totality of circumstances, officers are trained to utilize alternative resources, such as de-escalation techniques, crisis intervention techniques and other less lethal options as long as its use does not compromise safety or law enforcement priorities.

5. Require warning before shooting
Policy requires officers to give a verbal warning, when possible, prior to discharging a firearm with the intent to use deadly force against another person. 

6. Ban on shooting at moving vehicles
WMPD policy prohibits shooting at or from moving vehicles unless life threatening exigent circumstances exist. 

7. Duty to intervene
WMPD officers are instructed on peer accountability and their obligation to intervene.  A failure to intervene would constitute a violation of agency policy.

8. Use of force against handcuffed persons prohibited
Officers shall not use force against persons in handcuffs, except to prevent imminent bodily harm to the officer, the handcuffed individual or another person, or to physically move the subject who has become resistant.

9. Require response to resistance protocols
WMPD officers are taught response to resistance guidelines and how to respond to the following types of resistance: passive resistance, active resistance, aggressive and deadly force. Deadly force is the last option.

10. Response to resistance reporting required
All response to resistance incidents are documented by both the officer and their immediate supervisor. All response to resistance reports are reviewed by the Assistant Chief and Chief of Police to identify if the force used was compliant with policy.  

If you believe excessive force was used against you, or you are a witness to an incident involving excessive force, we want to hear from you.  For more information on how to submit a concern, click HERE.