Explained: the eight policies that could decrease police violence in the 8 Can't Wait campaign, backed by Obama

• Protestors across the country are calling for police forces to be defunded and disbanded.
• In its 8 Can't Wait campaign, activist group Campaign Zero offers a data-driven set of recommendations it says can immediately decrease police violence.
• Researchers looked at the use-of-force guidelines from 100 of the largest police departments in the United States.
• Since releasing the plan, the co-founders have also stepped up larger calls for abolition and defunding.

In the wake of George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis in May, many are calling to completely dismantle, or defund, police departments across the country.

Campaign Zero's 8 Can't Wait plan offers eight immediate steps that organizers say could make a major dent in the amount of police violence or killings of civilians.

They compared use of force guidelines from 100 of the country's largest police departments to come up with their recommendations.

We break down how all eight policies could decrease police violence.

Ban chokeholds and strangleholds

Neck holds and restraints can either cut off breathing — called an 'air choke' — or stop the flow of blood to the brain — called a 'sleeper hold' or 'carotid restraint.' With proper training, an officer is supposed to be able to make someone pass out without restricting breathing.

About one-third of the 100 departments Campaign Zero studied have officially banned both types.

Minneapolis did not until June 5, more than a week after a police officer killed George Floyd by suffocating him in an unapproved chokehold.

Require de-escalation

De-escalation means an officer must first try to calm a situation down when possible, rather than immediately using force.

Techniques include talking to a subject, keeping a distance, or even just taking a pause before reacting. The goal is to lessen or eliminate the need for force altogether.

Nearly 50 cities in Campaign Zero's study have this policy on their books.

Require warning before shooting

Saying "stop or I'll shoot" isn't as widely required as the movies might make us think. In many places, an officer can fire a gun as soon as they perceive a threat, without giving a warning.

About 70% of the departments surveyed, including Minneapolis, do require a verbal warning before using force, including even just displaying a weapon.

Exhaust all other means before shooting

This makes using a gun a means of last resort for officers on a scene.

After de-escalation techniques and other ways of calming and containing a situation, the use of lethal force may be called for if a threat of death or serious injury to the officer or another person is imminent. This is policy in just over 40 cities studied by Campaign Zero.

Duty to intervene

Officially requiring officers to intervene when they see inappropriate use of force means that police accountability would start with fellow officers on a scene. They'd also be obligated to try and stop others and report incidents to a supervisor.

This duty is on the books in Minneapolis, as well as about half the cities that were studied. But eyewitness video of George Floyd's killing shows that the three other officers present did not make any attempts to intervene.

Ban shooting at moving vehicles

Police tactics experts find that firing on a moving vehicle is rarely effective and often dangerous for passengers, officers, and any bystanders.

And shooting out tires of a speeding car? It's a lot harder than it looks, and is unlikely to be successful in any given situation.

Fewer than 20 of these departments explicitly ban shooting at a moving vehicle.

Require a use-of-force continuum

A force continuum is a set of steps for determining an officer's initial reaction, their weapon choice, and when to escalate or de-escalate a situation.

Out of all the policies called for by the 8 Can't Wait campaign, a Use of Force Continuum is the most commonly required, already in over 80% of the study's cities, including Minneapolis.

Require comprehensive reporting

The idea is that if officers must submit a report every time they use — or even threaten to use — force against civilians, they'll be more cautious about even brandishing a weapon of any kind, like pointing a gun but not shooting, or sparking a taser.

Many police departments do already have reporting guidelines and paperwork, but fewer than 30 make the cut for being comprehensive enough, according to Campaign Zero.

The authority to implement these policies varies by state.

But critics say just having these policies on the books isn't enough if officers don't follow the policies — as in the death of George Floyd and many others.

Minneapolis City Council rejected the idea of incremental change when they announced on June 7 that they would be disbanding their police force and rethinking safety and enforcement in their city.

And the co-founders of the 8 Can't Wait campaign have begun calling for more sweeping change. Co-founder DeRay Mckesson gave his thoughts on Medium, and co-founder and data scientist Samuel Sinyangwe shared on Twitter.

Still, they say, immediate action in these areas could be a significant starting point, and should be the bare minimum for any future law enforcement.