LAPD halting use of chokeholds

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has directed its officers not to use carotid restraints, or chokeholds that can restrict blood flow to the brain, officials confirmed, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody focused attention on the technique.

Los Angeles Police Commission President Eileen Decker “requested an immediate review of the Department’s policy regarding the use” of the restraints on Sunday, according to an LAPD statement. Decker and LAPD Chief Michel Moore also agreed to an “immediate moratorium on the training and use” of the practice until the “Board of Police Commissioners can conduct a detailed review.” 

Floyd, an unarmed black man, died late last month after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes during an arrest. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, and three other officers were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Floyd’s death has led to protests across the country over police brutality and calls for widespread changes to policing in the U.S.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also said it has restricted the use of the restraint unless a suspect has threatened someone’s life or other serious injury, the Los Angeles Times reported. Deputies could previously use it when someone’s actions were “assaultive or high risk.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lt. John Satterfield called the new directive “the right thing to do,” the Times reported.

“The community’s made it clear that this isn’t a force option that they want where it’s currently at,” Satterfield said. “We hear the community, and we’re going to react.”

The newspaper reported that Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department personnel have been documented using the move 193 times since 2010.

Floyd’s funeral and burial will take place Tuesday.