The Boise Police Department announced this past Friday that they will no longer use neck restraints in the wake of the George Floyd death last month. Up until now, the Boise PD used something called a lateral vascular neck restraint to control people during an arrest. This is a tool they borrowed from traditional martial arts training.
According to the police, this device is not a chokehold. It doesn’t restrict the person’s airway when applied. Also, there has never been a serious injury or death in their department as a result of using this neck restraint. However, due to community input, the department has decided to put the use of this device on hold until further notice.
The department is going to take this time to research other possible options. Clearly, they need to find a tool that is safe to use but also helps their officers control unruly or combative offenders. They also want to focus on retraining so that they can assure the community that any device used to subdue a defendant is used properly and safely.
This decision comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed against the Boise Police Department by a prior police trainee. The woman, who was not identified in this report, was part of a training demonstration last summer. The neck restraint was used against her by a training officer. The details of the lawsuit have not been released.
This moratorium on the neck restraint is said to be part of the “8 Can’t Wait” campaign that is being supported across the country due to the death of George Floyd.
If you have been injured during your arrest or feel that you have been treated unfairly by the police, call our office right away.