VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach's city council is requesting an update from police leaders on the progress of community policing initiatives put into place in 2016.
Those strategies include use of force, de-escalation, and body-worn cameras.
Interim police Chief Tony Zucaro said his department is leading in these areas, and he’s ready to give an update.
“Your police department has gone above and beyond with our use of force reporting, our policy restrain on neck holds, our multi-layered investigative approach on admin activities,” Zucaro said to city council on Tuesday.
Councilwoman Barbara Henley said the 2016 “5-point plan” to improve community policing in the city has not been forgotten, and much of it is in action.
“We need to take our time and look back at what is being done and I’m sure there are gaps and things to improve on but we don’t need to reinvent the wheel, we have a lot of it going,” she said.
Zucaro highlighted this weekend’s Mount Trashmore and Town Center protests as great examples of cooperation and peaceful activism.
“We had a lot of planning and collaborative effort and I think that resulted in a good outcome,” he said.
The 2016 community policing plan in Virginia Beach focuses on racial profiling, training and performance reviews of officers, body-worn cameras, transparency, and the employment of black police officers in the city.
“City staff has looked at that reviewed that and there are several recommendations that can be followed up on,” Zucaro said.
Zucaro told city council investigators are reviewing video from the May 31 protest at the Oceanfront that later resulted in damage and arrests. He added the department is following up on the man who drove a red truck through protesters and determining how best to proceed on criminal charges.