'Sanctity of human life' statement issued by Phila. PD

The Philadelphia Police Department updated its directive on the use of deadly force earlier this year to explicitly include a statement on the "sanctity of human life."

It is the policy of the Philadelphia Police Department that our officers hold the highest regard for the sanctity of human life, dignity and liberty of all persons. The application of deadly force is a measure to be employed only in the most extreme circumstances and all lesser means of force have failed or could not be reasonably employed.