WARREN — The president of the Trumbull County NAACP is calling for federal, state and local reforms to increase police accountability, and further investigation into the most recent police killing in Trumbull County.

The local NAACP strongly supports comprehensive change in communities all over the county, a statement from Annette McCoy, president of the Trumbull County NAACP, states.

“This response is not only for the murder of George Floyd and Matthew Burroughs but also for the 992 other victims that died in 2018 by fatal police shootings,” McCoy’s statement reads. “For too long, law enforcement and the criminal justice system at large has racially profiled, arrested, convicted and sentenced African Americans more harshly than the rest of America. As George Floyd’s killing tragically demonstrates, any interaction between an African American and law enforcement can instantaneously become deadly. We will not rest until all the officers involved in these incidents are convicted. We must ensure that justice is served in each and every case.”

Burroughs, 35, was killed Jan. 2, 2019, after two Niles police officers — Chris Mannella and James Reppy Jr. — fired eight shots at Burroughs’ Ford Fiesta in the parking lot outside his apartment in the Royal Mall complex.

At the time of the shooting, Burroughs was unarmed, but police officers said they feared Burroughs would use his car as a weapon against Mannella, according to a report from Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins. Watkins in September decided not to press charges against the officers.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio decided in February not pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against any Niles police officers involved in the shooting.

The administrator of Burroughs’ will, Timothy Raimey, filed a federal lawsuit against the officers, the city, the police department, another officer and Chief Jay Holland, alleging a culture of excessive use of force, poor training and reckless hiring practices. The department denies all allegations. The suit still is making its way through the court.

McCoy’s agency is “calling for a further investigation into the shooting of Matthew Boroughs,” according to her statement.

Niles police Capt. John Marshall did not respond to the call for further investigation into the incident, but said the department is certified by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board and has been since 2016.

When asked Sunday if the department is reviewing any potential policy changes or new strategies following Burroughs’ death and the response to Floyd’s death, Marshall said “our policies are already in compliance with standards required by the collaborative.”

“This is the time for systemic changes to policing in this country. We need federal, state, and local reforms which impose strict police accountability, limit the use of force, eliminate racial profiling, de-militarize law enforcement, track and report data, and ensure proper screening, education and training of all officers. Local law enforcement agencies receive federal funding and must be made to comply with federal civil rights laws,” McCoy’s statement reads.

McCoy said the Warren Police Department has done well implementing measures at the direction of the U.S. Justice Department, following a consent decree that required strict monitoring by the federal government over the department after complaints of racism and excessive-force violations in the department. The department was released last year from the DOJ’s oversight.

Similar reforms are being discussed in other areas with similar accusations, said Warren Mayor Doug Franklin, and the city is in a place to share what it has learned with other departments.

McCoy and Franklin said there is good communication between the Warren officials and the Trumbull County NAACP, the Urban League, Trumbull County APRI, the Trumbull County Ministerial Alliance and local clergy, establishing a “community pathway with Mayor’s Franklin office.”

“Pathways for other localities in Trumbull County must be established as part of the national overhaul that is needed for reform. This is inclusive of the prosecutor’s office where justice has been for just us!” McCoy’s statements states.

Franklin said Sunday he is working on finalizing a community advisory board to continue looking into possible reforms and ways to include “younger voices” in discussions.

The committee will examine existing policies for effectiveness and discuss new ideas.

Franklin said he would like to examine ways of shifting the way the city responds to some calls police officers now take. Adding mental health specialists and other health care first responders could help people seek aid, instead of ending up in an escalating police situation.

“I think we can make better use of our health care professionals in this community and take the burden off of police officers when it comes to situations involving mental health and homelessness, among other issues,” Franklin said. “With the partners we have here, I think we are more than capable of doing that in Warren and in Trumbull County as a whole.”