(DALLAS, August 14, 2020) The Dallas Police Department today delivered its official After-Action Report (AAR), on the protests that occurred in the city from May 29-June 1, 2020. The AAR, as it is labeled by the National Police Foundation, is a common instrument for police agencies around the country, to examine and critique practices, performance and actions following a critical incident. This is the first department wide After-Action Report produced by the department.
A Public Safety Committee meeting has been scheduled to discuss the report Tuesday, click the link to access the report through the City of Dallas public website.
In her Executive Summary, Dallas Chief Reneé Hall said the document provides a roadmap for change and improvement, especially during peaceful protests.
“The report, I hope, reflects our commitment to transparency, integrity and critical analysis of our own actions during this difficult period of time,” said Hall. “Councilmembers and the public will learn all that we know now about what happened and why, including errors and shortcomings in our service during the protests. We can only move forward if we understand everything that happened.”
Chief Hall noted that this was the only way to attain a critical self-analysis that could result in change for the future. Already, the chief has implemented changes to the department’s General Orders, including a prohibition of deploying less-than-lethal projectiles into a crowd and requiring authorization for tear gas by the chief or a designee.
“This is truly an exhaustive report,” said Chief Hall. “It took hundreds of hours to prepare, and some of the revelations were difficult to accept, but I’m confident our officers are committed to change so that errors do not occur in the future. I look forward to discussing this with the Public Safety Committee.”