ALT Recommendation 15: RPD should explore, with city leaders and community members, supplementary means of CCTV cameras, aerial support and intelligence. Situational awareness was reported to have been difficult to attain at certain times during the unrest due to time of day, landscape, and other factors. The use of air support units, like North Carolina Highway Patrol helicopters, could have assisted greatly in determining RPD priorities and deployment of resources. Because such technologies do implicate concerns about privacy and the potential appearance of “over-policing,” the recommendation here is for RPD to explore potential mechanisms for ensuring better information about crowd situations in manner consistent with community values.

ALT Recommendation 8: RPD should develop a standalone Mass Detention and Arrest policy. The First Amendment, and its freedoms of speech and assembly, are core rights of all citizens. Protests, large and small, are part of American history, and they will continue to occur, especially in a state-capital city like Raleigh. Consequently, RPD should develop clear policy guidance as to when officers managing crowd and protest situations, can make mass arrests. The policy should, among other things, detail how arrest teams will engage with protesters subject to arrest and how those arrested will be booked. (Due to COVID restrictions booking options at the Wake County Justice Center may not be available, temporary field booking locations may to be created, which RPD policy should describe.) Given the scope of legal and logistical implications surrounding mass arrests in a protest situation, RPD would be well-suited to craft a detailed policy addressing these issues.

ALT During 21CP ‘s review, we learned from stakeholders that the City of Raleigh does not appear to consistently enforce the permitting process, with groups wishing to gather and protest not necessarily being required to obtain a “Permit to Picket” before engaging in protest activity. We learned from interviews that this change evolved over the years primarily because Raleigh experiences daily protests, at and around the capital building, that are typically peaceful and orderly. Spontaneous and/or unpermitted marches and protests can pose special operational challenges. RPD personnel indicated that it would be beneficial, from an operational perspective, to have greater time to prepare for protests – with some notification being better than no notification, and advance notification being best of all. The development of an IAP and staffing preparations can all be dynamically planned in light of known events, and the enforcement of the permitting process can facilitate RPD’s appropriate and

ALT Recommendation 12: An inventory and assessment of helmets and gas masks should be conducted, and a replacement schedule be established to ensure officers have safe and functioning personal equipment. Interviews with RPD personnel revealed that many of the CS gas canisters in their possession were beyond their expiration dates. Expired CS gas canisters do not pose health concerns for those exposed to it, but retaining those canisters beyond their expiration dates lessens the effectiveness of the gas. For CS gas contemplated for deployment, it is recommended to deploy gas that is not expired so that the expected outcome of crowd dispersal occurs and the oversaturation of crowds with minimally effective gasis avoided. Recommendation 13: As long as the RPD continues the use of chemical munitions, it is recommended that the RPD maintain a sufficient supply that has been vetted for quality and usability. During the protests, RPD realized that their CS munitions were running low and requested