Local agencies ban carotid restraint

College of the Redwoods looks at changes to Police Academy

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently called for new policing reforms as protests against police brutality continued to swell across the state and nation in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

On June 5 the governor called for the “carotid hold,” also known as a “carotid restraint,” to be dropped as viable use of force techniques by all law enforcement in the state.

Since then, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Eureka Police Department and the Arcata Police Department have all moved to ban the chokehold restraint. EPD Chief Steve Watson on June 6 officially amended his department’s policy, removing the carotid choke from acceptable use of force techniques with few exceptions.

“On (June 6) I officially amended the policy and removed the carotid restraint as an acceptable use of force, except in situations where deadly use of force is required,” Watson said.

APD Chief Brian Ahearn on June 4 prohibited the outright use of the carotid choke.

“(Prior to June 4) the use of the carotid choke was once a use of force authorized for use by the department — it’s something that has been taught in academies across the state. But as of June 4 I have prohibited its use by anyone in our department.”

The reform is one of several that could be coming to the APD.

On Wednesday, Ahearn will present a number of possible department reforms to the Arcata City Council for discussion and possible implementation.

The sheriff’s office has also banned the restraint tactic.

“…the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office issued a departmental directive immediately suspending the use of the carotid restraint by our deputies. Gover

nor Newsom has instructed the California POST (Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training) to cease training officers in its use and stated he intended to sign pending legislation that would ban its use throughout the entire state,” a June 12 sheriff’s office release reads.

The local law enforcement changes comply with guidelines set forth by Senate Bill 230, a new state law which in effect compels law enforcement to always seek methods which pose the least threat to the public and do the most to safeguard life. The bill was signed by the governor Sept. 12, 2019, and will go into effect no later than Jan. 1, 2021.

Section 1, part B of the bill states, “Law enforcement officers shall be guided by the principle of reverence for human life in all investigative, enforcement, and other contacts between officers and members of the public. When officers are called upon to detain or arrest a suspect who is uncooperative or actively resisting, may attempt to flee, poses a danger to others, or poses a danger to themselves, they should consider tactics and techniques that may persuade the suspect to voluntarily comply or may mitigate the need to use a higher level of force to resolve the situation safely.”

College looks at retooling police academy

While law enforcement agencies across the county are making changes, the academy which trains them is doing so as well.

College of the Redwoods on Friday announced it will be “initiating a basic review of law enforcement academy curriculum,” according to a release from the college.

“The process will include discussion and review of current curriculum with an augmented Basic Law Enforcement Academy Advisory Committee comprised of local law enforcement leadership as well as representatives from Native Tribes and Black, LGBTQ, and Latinx interest groups,” the release reads.

College President Dr. Keith Flamer was quoted in the release: ““The Board and I recognize that the complexities of modern policing have created an opportunity and responsibility to do more to train our police cadets and first respondents in how best to serve our diverse communities…It is not sufficient to focus only on the law or on skills such as arrest and control, defensive tactics, driving, and firearms … . We have already made it a priority to include implicit bias, procedural justice, community interaction, crisis intervention, and de-escalation in our curriculum.”

Both Ahearn and Watson called the junior college’s police academy as crucial in terms of supplying officers with the training they’ll need to be brought on by local departments, and each phrased the academy as vital to the area.

“The academy is vitally important for the community,” Watson said. “It offers a constant source of local police officers…It’s hard to get officers trained and even harder when you’re in a rural area, so having the academy so close is absolutely vital for us.”

The next closest academy is in Redding.

Ahearn said the academy is virtually the only place APD yields recruits from.

“It benefits us in so many ways,” Ahearn said.