District Attorney Lacey orders investigators to stop using carotid restraints
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 29: Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey. (Photo by Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey ordered her investigators to immediately stop using carotid restraints, in an announcement on Tuesday.
This comes after the announcement of an immediate moratorium on the Los Angeles Police Department's training and use of carotid artery restraints that was issued Monday by Chief Michel Moore. The LAPD's moratorium will be in place until the Board of Police Commissioners conducts a detailed review of the department's policy regarding the maneuver. It was agreed upon by Moore and Police Commission President Eileen Decker, according to a statement by the LAPD.
In a statement, Lacey says, "I want the community to know their voices are being heard, loud and clear. Their cries have led us to re-examine and improve our policing policies in a way that I hope will save lives."
The District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation is the fourth largest law enforcement agency in Los Angeles County with nearly 300 peace officers.
Get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.
Pasadena Police Department Chief John Perez also suspended the use of carotid-restraint controls by his department's officers, the department reported last Sunday. The department's use-of-force experts say they are exploring alternative techniques and options for confrontations with dangerous or violent suspects.
"The carotid hold blocks the flow of blood to the brain. It's a dangerous tactic that should not be used by law enforcement," Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Friday.
Supervisors Janice Hahn and Mark Ridley-Thomas had filed a motion in support of "8 Can't-Wait" use-of-force policies recommended by the advocacy group Campaign Zero.
The motion called on Sheriff Alex Villanueva and all 46 police departments in Los Angeles County to adopt the restrictions, which includes limiting the use of chokeholds and requiring a warning before shooting.
Villanueva declared his support for the "8 Can't-Wait" policies in a tweet Monday:
Campaign Zero, which is led by Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson, data scientist Samuel Sinyangwe, and policy advocate Brittany N.Packnett Cunningham, says the policies are backed by rigorous data.
Statement from the LAPD:
"On June 7, 2020, Police Commission President Eileen Decker requested an immediate review of the Department’s policy regarding the use of the Carotid Restraint Control Hold. Today, following that review, Commission President Decker and Chief Moore agreed to an immediate moratorium on the training and use of the Carotid Restraint Control Hold until such time that the Board of Police Commissioners can conduct a detailed review."