Santa Ana Police Suspend Use Of Carotid Restraint
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – In the wake of George Floyd's death and the discussion it has prompted over law enforcement practices, the Santa Ana Police Department has become the latest local agency to ban the use of the carotid restraint – informally known as a "sleeper hold" -- when officers are apprehending suspects.
Santa Ana police announced Monday that the controversial maneuver– which is designed to temporarily block blood flow to the brain – will no longer be allowed.
"Effective immediately, the Santa Ana Police Department will suspend the use of the carotid restraint control hold as a use of force option until further evaluation and assessment," the department said in a statement Monday.
The carotid hold applies pressure to the sides of the neck, cutting off blood flow. Its intended to make a combative person momentarily unconscious, and is different than a chokehold, which puts pressure across the windpipe. Chokeholds have already been banned by the LAPD and many other agencies.
The Pasadena Police Department on Sunday announced it was ending use of the carotid hold, and the El Monte Police Department followed suit Monday.
The Los Angeles Police Department Monday said it had placed a moratorium on training and use of the hold while it reviews the department's policy of the manuever.
On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state police training program to stop teaching officers how to use the carotid hold.
"We can argue that these are used as exceptions, but at the end of the day, carotid hold, that literally is designed from stopping people's blood from flowing into their brain, that has no place any longer," Newsom said.
Last week Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) introduced a bill which would make the carotid restrain illegal in California.
