The Chicago Police Department announced Wednesday a sweeping change to its use-of-force policy, embracing the concept of de-escalation during critical incidents, reports the Washington Post.

Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson announced the new policies at a news conference Wednesday, saying it was devised after numerous community meetings, two first-ever public comment periods, and officer and police supervisor focus groups. He said that every one of the Chicago department's more than 12,000 officers would be required to undergo "rigorous" training, beginning with a computer orientation, then a four-hour in-person session by this fall, and then an eight-hour scenario-based course next year. The policy will become effective in the fall after every officer has finished the four-hour training session, Johnson said.

The new rules closely adhere to the controversial "30 Guiding Principles" unveiled by the Washington-based Police Executive Research Forum in January 2016 and supported by nearly every big-city police chief but strongly opposed by the Fraternal Order of Police officers union and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, made up largely of the heads of smaller departments.