Washington, Dec 30 (EFE).- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday announced police reforms to prevent civilian deaths in confrontations with officers after the killing of two African Americans on the weekend sparked demands that he resign.
Emanuel, who this week had to interrupt his holiday vacation in Cuba because of another killing of an unarmed African American man by police, announced changes in police training and tactical measures to try and defuse a tense situation with the public.
"The goal is to make sure everyone goes home safely," Emanuel said.
At a press conference, the mayor - appearing with city police superintendent John Escalante - said that "Force can be the last option, not the first choice," although he said that police are human and do make mistakes.
In addition, the city will double the number of tasers issued to officers to 1,400 and encourage their use rather than firearms.
By next June, all city officers will have to carry tasers and will have to know how to use them properly.
Last Saturday, police shot a 19-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman - both African Americans - to death after responding to a domestic violence call. Police have called the woman's death "accidental" although more detailed information about the incident has not be made public.
Those deaths sparked a new wave of anti-police protests in the city and demands for Emanuel to resign.
Many of Emanuel's opponents criticize the mayor, who is a close friend and former colleague of U.S. President Barack Obama, for only acting when a crisis erupts and not working to end decades of police abuse in the city.
Last month, after much opposition from the mayor, a judge ordered a video of the October 2014 shooting of a young African American man by a white police officer. The victim was carrying a knife but was moving away from officers when he was shot at 16 times and killed.
Most of those shots were fired when the victim was already on the ground and, presumably, not posing any threat to the officers.