Policy: Connecticut police prohibited from using chokeholds
Connecticut police officers are now required to intervene and stop “unreasonable, excessive or illegal use of force” by another officer and the use of chokeholds are banned, according to Milford Police Chief Keith L. Mello, chairman of the state Police Officers Standards and Training Council.
Mello said the POST Council met Thursday in a special meeting to address the matter of the use of chokeholds in policing and the obligation of officers to intervene when another officer commits misconduct.
All police departments in Connecticut must comply with standards set forth by the POST Council.
“The standard in this case does not provide police departments with policy language, only the requirement to include language equal to, or greater than the standard,” Mello said. “Police departments are required to update their policy to reflect these changes.”
Officials and police agencies across the nation have opted to revisit police department policy on chokeholds and intervention in a case of excessive force after the death of George Floyd.
Floyd died in Minneapolis on Memorial Day after then- Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes while Floyd was face- down and not resisting. Floyd repeatedly stated he could not breathe, video footage of his arrest showed. Three other officers were on scene during the arrest.
In Connecticut, Mello said officers get training at the recruit level of their obligation to intervene and report misconduct.
“We are also aware that many, but not all municipal police departments have these requirements within their department policies,” Mello said, adding that because of that, the Council amended the Connecticut Law Enforcement Standards and Practices’ use of force policy.
The policy requires officers to deploy de- escalation or “calming” strategies or verbal warnings before use of force “when feasible.”
The policy prohibits the “intentional use of a chokehold or other method of restraint applied to the neck area of another person,” including an arm bar hold, a carotid artery hold, a lateral vascular neck restraint.
“Neck restraint or hold with a knee or other object is prohibited,” the policy states. “The use of a choke hold or neck restraint may only be used when the use of deadly physical force is authorized.”
Officers are required to intervene and stop unreasonable, excessive or illegal use of force by another police officer, the policy states.
The policy requires an officer who “directly observes a use of force that is unreasonable, excessive or otherwise in violation with the agency’s use of force policy and/ or a violation of state or federal statute, shall contact a supervisor as soon as practicable.”
Any officer with knowledge of excessive force against a person must also submit a written report on the matter for a supervisor in a “timely fashion.”
The policy states that retaliation against any officer that intervenes in these cases, reports misconduct or cooperates in an internal investigation is prohibited.
And although all police departments are required to have a use of force policy, the POST Council has also created a subcommittee to establish a uniform use of force policy for all municipal police departments, Mello said.