Oakland Police Commission votes for tougher ban on neck holds
FILE ART - Oakland police
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland Police Commission went beyond the existing ban against chokehold by city police officers to include a broader prohibition on "neck holds."
The wider ban, which the commission called "the strongest language in the nation," was passed unanimously Thursday, the commission said.
Under this new policy, Oakland officers will no longer be permitted to use a carotid hold on suspects. Such a hold cuts off blood flow to the brain, the police commission said in a statement.
The commission also updated policing rules to forbid officers from piling onto people pinned to the ground.
Officers must monitor a restrained person for signs of distress, the commission said in its statement.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis motivated the commission to act, its statement said. Floyd perished when an officer knelt on his neck despite pleas from Floyd that he could not breathe.
The Oakland Police Officers' Association, the union for city cops, did not immediately respond to KTVU's inquiry about its view of the policy.