Chicago police to be trained in non-lethal methods

Chicago police will get new equipment and training to help them use the least amount of lethal force necessary, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said yesterday, seeking to soothe tensions after weeks of protests over fatal police shootings.

The number of non-lethal stun guns will be doubled to 1,400 so that every patrol unit that goes out at night has one, Emanuel said.

“Just because you are trained that you can use force doesn’t mean you should,” he said.

The Chicago Police Department has faced criticism for shooting to death a 55-year-old mother and a 19-year-old college student, whom relatives said had suffered from mental issues.

It admitted the woman’s death was an accident.

A video was released last month showing Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke, who is white, shooting Laquan McDonald, 17, in 2014.

Chicago police shoot more than 50 people a year on average, 74% of them black.