CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Chief Johnny Jennings told city leaders Tuesday that the department is doing away with its use of tear gas.
Jennings said the will still have pepper spray as an option to disperse crowds who refuse to leave.
In the controversy over CMPD's use of chemical agents on protesters, the department launched a review after an incident involving a group of protesters in Uptown this summer.
A Facebook Live video from June 2 showed protesters struggling to escape police tear gas after becoming "bottlenecked" in uptown Charlotte.
Earlier in the month, Chief Jennings said he feels whenever a controversial police encounter happens in the country, it tends to shine a negative light on police departments across the board, which he said does get frustrating.
"It's frustrating to us just as much as it is to the community when you see social injustice and see police brutality," Jennings said.
But for police departments, he said it tends to have a ripple effect.
"As many steps as we try to take to move forward and building those relationships, something else can happen across the country and it pushes us backward," Jennings said.
