Sacramento, Davis police will stop allowing carotid artery restraint to subdue suspects

The Sacramento and Davis police departments said Saturday they have suspended use of the “carotid control” hold following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call to end the practice.

The Democratic governor said Friday he would remove the technique from statewide law enforcement training and is endorsing a bill, AB 1196, to ban use of the technique.

Newsom said there is no longer a place for a policing tactic “that literally is designed to stop people’s blood from flowing into their brain.” He said the state must ban “strangleholds that put people’s lives at risk.”

As a result, the Sacramento Police Department said in a statement that it would discontinue using the hold immediately. The announcement came after one of the largest marches in Sacramento’s history unfolded on downtown streets.

“The police department’s use of force policy is currently under revision to reflect the changes. Once completed, the policy will be posted to the department’s transparency website,” the statement said. “The Sacramento Police Department remains committed to serving our community, and will continue to review and revise polices in order to best support all of Sacramento.”

The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday reported the police department is investigating a use-of-force incident in which an officer used a neck restraint on a teenager. It’s unclear from bystander cellphone video if the officer was attempting to perform a carotid restraint or another type of neck restraint.

After seeing the video, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he wanted to review whether the restraint should be banned by Sacramento’s Police Department.

The Davis Police Department made a similar announcement around the same time.

“This policy change reflects the strong thoughts and public demand for change in contemporary policing today,” said Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel in a statement that was posted on Facebook and Twitter.

“Although the policy language has changed, this does not represent a significant change to any current practice for the members of the Police Department,” Pytel said. “The use of the carotid control hold and other neck restraints was previously reserved for only those situations where deadly force was authorized. Although officers receive training in the techniques, the techniques had not actually been used in a force situation in at least the last 20 years.”

George Floyd, a black man, died in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

His action differed from carotid artery holds, taught in many police academies, that use an arm to compress the neck.

Anthony Smith, 51, a black man who protested Saturday in Sacramento, said the police announcement could be the beginning of necessary change in police tactics.

“I think it makes a difference. It’s a start in the right direction,” he said. “It’s still a long way to go. At least they’re (police) are listening and making some needed changes.”

Editor’s note: This article has been changed to reflect that the carotid artery hold taught in many police academies was not used on George Floyd.

This story was originally published June 6, 2020 at 5:45 PM.