APD Chief Brian Manley, JUST America talk police reform and potential policy changes - VIA KXAN

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police Chief Brian Manley discussed Thursday potential items of police reform put forth by a group “born out of the peaceful protests.”

The JUST America organization and its co-president, Eric Lee Brown, appeared with Chief Manley at a press conference introducing and discussing what JUST American presented to the chief as potential policy changes.

“We recognize we’re a department that has been collaborative and progressive, but we need to do more,” Manley said. He went on to say the organization is a homegrown, grassroots program and came to him to start the conversations on reform.

JUST is an acronym for Justice, Unity, Sanctuary and Trust.

One of the policy changes includes banning any restraint or holds of the neck of any kind.

Chief Manley said the department is “taking extra steps to exclude chokeholds” in their policy, and he supports an indefinite suspension for officers who intentionally turn off their body-worn cameras.