The Denver Police Department will prohibit officers from shooting at moving cars unless someone inside is firing at them, a change in policy that mirrors one being adopted by police departments nationwide.

The police department introduced a policy change to its officers Monday, just days after Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey decided not to prosecute two officers who shot and killed 17-year-old Jessica Hernandez after they say she drove a car toward them. The policy changes were made public Tuesday.

Police Chief Robert White said the new policy is more detailed than the old one, which gave officers more discretion to open fire if they thought they would be hit by a car.

“Where this was a recommendation, now it’s a directive,” White said. “We want the first reaction to be get out of the way rather than pull your firearm.”

DOCUMENT: Read the revised policy in its entirety

The change was welcomed by the Hernandez family, who said their daughter most likely would be alive if the policy had been in place in January when was she shot.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado also said it was encouraged by the change and urged the department to train its officers and hold them accountable.

The Denver Police Protective Association, which represents the rank-and-file, opposed the change.

Previously, the department’s policy said officers could not shoot at moving vehicles unless there was an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.

The new policy allows officers to shoot at a moving vehicle only when deadly force is being used against the officers, such as someone inside shooting at them. The revised policy specifies that the moving vehicle cannot be considered a weapon.

The policy also instructs officers to use good judgment around cars and to avoid moving into their path.

“Moving into or remaining in the path of a moving vehicle, whether deliberate or inadvertent, shall not be justification for discharging a firearm at the vehicle or any occupant,” the policy states.

Training ahead

Finally, the policy included a clause saying that it may not cover every situation and that deviations will be reviewed case by case.

The department will begin next week to train officers on the new policy, including practice scenarios where they must make quick decisions on how to respond, White said.

The department said shooting at moving vehicles is dangerous because it rarely stops a vehicle and disabling a driver creates an out-of-control car that becomes a risk to officers and bystanders.

Two Denver police officers shot and killed Hernandez, who was unarmed, on the morning of Jan. 26 after they said she drove toward them and nearly hit one officer.

The officers fired eight shots into the Honda where four other teens were passengers. Hernandez was the only one hit by a bullet. Neither officer was hit by the car, Morrissey concluded.

In four other recent incidents, one other person, Ryan Ronquillo, was killed; three others were injured. All four cases remain under internal investigation, White said.

After the Hernandez shooting, White announced a review of the department’s policy on shooting at vehicles. The evaluation included a look at officers’ tactics, how they are trained and how the policy is written.

Encounters reviewed

White said his staff reviewed his department’s encounters with moving cars during the past eight to 10 years. In some cases, officers shot at cars, and in others officers did not fire.

No Denver police officer has fired at a car since the Hernandez shooting, White said.

Police departments across the country are changing their policies to instruct officers to not shoot at a moving vehicle. The Denver Police Department consulted 30 to 40 departments across the country to figure out the best practice, White said.

Most recently, the U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement with the Cleveland Police Department that included a prohibition on shooting at moving cars.

The New York Police Department has not allowed its officers to fire at moving vehicles for 15 years, White said. To his knowledge, no NYPD officer has been injured by car since the policy was put in place.

The Aurora Police Department changed its policy to prohibit firing at cars in 2006, said Sgt. Chris Amsler, a department spokesman. The policy does allow lethal force if someone inside the car is shooting.

Since then, the city has had one incident where officers shot at burglary suspects who were driving a pickup truck toward them in an alley.

In 2011, two officers shot and killed a 22-year-old man and paralyzed an 18-year-old man. A third person in the truck was not injured.

The district attorney declined to prosecute the officers. The city settled with the families for a combined $365,000.

One officer, Chris Falco, eventually was suspended for 320 days for violating department policies after he was heard referring to the dead man as a “marshmallow head” when discussing the settlement.

While White said the policy has proven effective at other departments and had not put officers in danger of being run over, the police union said the policy will lead to an officer’s death.

Nick Rogers, the union president, said the policy was an irresponsible, knee-jerk reaction to community pressure.

“I pray someone will rescind this ridiculous policy so no cops are placed in a no-win situation,” he said.

Independent Monitor Nick Mitchell also said his office would evaluate the department’s policy and officers’ decision-making when approaching vehicles. That review is ongoing.

Last week, Morrissey announced he would not seek criminal charges against Officers Gabriel Jordan and Daniel Greene for shooting Hernandez. Morrissey blamed Hernandez for her death, saying the situation would have been prevented if she had listened to the officers’ orders to get out of the car.

Lawyers for the Hernandez family issued a statement, saying they commend the police department’s policy change. They called the change long overdue and necessary.

“Denver’s previous policies and practices placed both the officers and the community they served in danger,” the statement said. “Had this policy been in place in January 2015, Jessie would still be alive. This policy change in the wake of Jessie’s death clearly demonstrates that her death was entirely unnecessary and unlawful.”

Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com ortwitter.com/Noelle_Phillips