The Denver Sheriff Department’s new use-of-force policy released Thursday requires deputies to try “verbal judo” first to de-escalate conflicts with inmates and to use the least amount of force necessary to gain control.

The policy brings significant change to how deputies at the city’s two jails will control and interact with inmates, outlining a standard of “reasonable and necessary” force that is more restrictive than the standard set by state and federal law.

City leaders and department watchdogs agreed the new protocol is one of the more progressive policies in the country. However, sheriff’s department critics said pressure now lies with Sheriff Patrick Firman and safety director Stephanie O’Malley to enforce it among the staff.

“It’s awfully pretty,” said David Lane, a Denver civil rights attorney who has represented the families of inmates who have been killed or injured in the jails. “We’ll see if anyone is serious about implementing it. Otherwise, it’s a lot of words on paper.”

In plain language, void of the legalese typical in departmental orders, the policy outlines the steps deputies should take before using force and the options they have for getting inmates under control. The policy also includes lessons learned from past cases in which inmates were killed behind bars.

If deputies use force, they will be asked to explain why they did so and what steps they took to avoid it.

The policy, which is the centerpiece of a massive sheriff’s department reform, reflects changing national expectations for how and when law enforcement officers use force against citizens.

“It’s no secret that force has been at the center of controversy over recent years,” O’Malley said Thursday during a news conference to announce the policy.

O’Malley called the new policy a “milestone” in reforming the department.

Deputies may have the right to use force, O’Malley told The Denver Post, but they will be evaluated on whether it was reasonable and whether it was necessary to engage in a particular type of force.

Al LaCabe, a former Denver safety manager and one of the architects of the new policy, said the message in the new policy once was an aspiration for deputies. Now, it is a duty.

“It’s about changing focus,” LaCabe said.

One significant change includes a duty to intervene, demanding that deputies who witness the use of inappropriate force step in to stop the situation and report it to supervisors. Deputies will be expected to write more thorough reports of what they did and what they saw, O’Malley said.

The policy comes after a series of excessive-force cases, including the 2010 death of Marvin Booker, a homeless street preacher, and the 2011 physical abuse of inmate Jamal Hunter. Both cases cost the city millions in legal settlements, and they, along with more minor excessive-force incidents, embarrassed the department.

Since consultants released a scathing report in May 2015, many changes have been made, including the hiring of Firman, a restructuring of the command staff, the hiring of 80 new deputies and schedule changes at the jails.

But none has carried the weight of the new use-of-force policy when it comes to changing the culture inside the Downtown Detention Center and the County Jail on Smith Road.

“This is a very progressive policy that will be a model for jails around the country,” said Nick Mitchell, Denver’s independent monitor who was one of the lead authors of the policy. “It will help improve safety for deputies and inmates, particularly those in crisis.”

The new policy opens with a preamble that says the sheriff’s department is committed to “respecting human rights, the dignity of every individual and every individual’s right to be free from inappropriate force by any law enforcement officer.”

The policy recognizes that deputies will encounter situations where force is necessary, but it instructs them to use tactics and alternatives to avoid those situations as often as possible.

At the heart of the policy is the phrase “reasonable and necessary.”

A deputy who uses force against an inmate will be judged on two fronts and must answer those questions in their reports on cases.

“Two things stand out,” LaCabe said. “Number one, ‘Why did you use the force?’ In your perception, why did you use the force? And second is, ‘What did you do to attempt not to use force?’ That’s a question that’s never been asked before.”

Deputies also will be investigated for attempted uses of force, such as occasions when they fire a Taser but do not connect or swing a fist but don’t make contact.

The changes were met with concern from the Fraternal Order of Police Sheriffs Lodge #27, the union that represents deputies.

Mike Jackson, president of Lodge 27, said the new policy is too cumbersome because deputies often don’t have time to run through a mental checklist of options during a crisis.

“If something’s going on, you’ve got to jump into the fray rather than sit back and think about it,” Jackson said.

The new policy may lead to more injuries to inmates because deputies will be reluctant to intervene quickly because of the policy.

“Situations happen in a split second,” he said. “They don’t last very long, but you don’t have time to think about it.”

The policy includes a whole new review process. A group of people will look at reports and consider incidents to decide whether a case should go to internal affairs. In the past, a deputy’s immediate supervisor — typically a sergeant — decided whether a case should be reviewed by internal affairs.

The updated use-of-force instructions were drafted through a long, painstaking process that included 44 people from a wide range of backgrounds and viewpoints, such as church pastors, deputies and criminal defense attorneys.

O’Malley said she gave the group charged with writing the policy time to do research, receive input and even test theories.

The 39-page policy is longer than the old one but spends less time talking about the use of firearms, something less likely to happen inside a jail, where deputies working in pods do not carry them.

It includes nearly six pages of instructions on using force against domesticated and wild animals. That section was required by state law even though most Denver sheriff’s deputies will not encounter animals while at work.

The policy has a section on the physical restraint of inmates, a subject that has been at the heart of two jails deaths — Booker’s and, in November, Michael Marshall’s. Marshall died after vomit blocked his airways while he was being restrained by deputies.

“Deputies shall make every effort to avoid using their bodies in a way that could restrict an individual’s ability to breathe,” the policy says.

It also requires deputies to get up and allow an inmate to sit once he is handcuffed and under control. And if an inmate complains of breathing problems, deputies must call for medical assistance.

“Even though an individual can speak during or after a struggle, he/she may still be experiencing problems breathing,” the policy says. “If an individual indicates that he/she is having difficulty breathing, the individual shall be considered to, in fact, be having difficulty breathing.”

While the policy is written, it will be several months before it is enforced within the department.

The next step involves alterations to the department’s disciplinary standards so that they match the new policy, Firman said.

“Yes, it does raise the level of discipline for violations,” he said.

And the department’s more than 700 uniformed staff members must receive 10 hours of training on the changes, Firman said. Officials expect that training to last through the end of 2016.

In training, deputies will run through role-playing scenarios they likely will encounter in the jails. For example, they may have to figure out how to talk to a schizophrenic who is hearing multiple voices in his head.

“This is a culture change,” Firman said. “This is a new way of doing business.”

Lisa Calderone, co-chairwoman of the Colorado Latino Forum’s Denver chapter, said she is concerned about the amount of time it will take for the policy to truly be in place. Until then, choke holds and pinning inmates to the floor with the sheer force of body weight remains acceptable (choke holds already are prohibited).

“It sends a mixed signal to both deputies and the community to what standards are we using,” she said.

A look at five significant changes in the new Denver Sheriff Department use-of-force policy: