USE OF FORCE

Police Chokeholds Banned in Minneapolis as Part of New Human Rights Agreement

An agreement reached on Friday also requires prior authorization for the use of crowd control measures like tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets.

Police in Minneapolis will no longer legally be allowed to use chokeholds when detaining suspects, according to a new agreement between the city council and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) expected to pass Friday. The order will require any officer to intervene in the use of a chokehold, whether by themselves or another officer, and afterward report it to superiors. Other stipulations include timelier discipline for officers and a requirement for prior authorization from a commanding officer to use crowd control measures like tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets. Penalties attached to the agreement will be enforceable in court.

The MDHR had launched an investigation into the alleged murder of George Floyd, in which a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe. In a similar move, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the “carotid hold,” a neck restraint move that blocks blood flow to the brain, be removed from police training on Friday.