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San Diego Sheriff's Department, other law enforcement agencies stop use of carotid restraint

"I am stopping the use of the carotid restraint by my deputies effective immediately," a statement from Gore read in part.

SAN DIEGO — The Community Review Board on Police Practices will hold an emergency meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. regarding the San Diego Police Department's de-escalation-of-force policies, which can be viewed on the city's website and YouTube page.

Following a move by the San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore announced Wednesday that his department will also stop the use of the carotid restraint "effective immediately." Several other local law enforcement agencies followed suit making similar announcements. 

Gore had previously said his department would not suspend the technique despite concerns from the community and civil rights groups.

Police departments and agencies throughout San Diego also announced they were discontinuing the use of the technique. According to statement from various agencies and a list provided by Chula Vista Police Department Chief Roxana Kennedy, who is also President of the San Diego Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association the following agencies have decided to discontinue the use of the carotid restraint hold effective immediately:

  • Carlsbad Police Department
  • Chula Vista Police Department
  • Coronado Police Department
  • El Cajon Police Department
  • Escondido Police Department
  • La Mesa Police Department
  • National City Police Department
  • Oceanside Police Department
  • San Diego Community College Police Department
  • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
  • San Diego Harbor Police Department
  • San Diego Police Department
  • San Diego State University Police Department
  • San Diego Unified School District Police Department
  • University of San Diego Police Department

On Monday, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit and local elected officials announced that the SDPD would immediately stop using carotid restraints as a use-of-force procedure. The city of San Diego officials cited the widely protested Memorial Day death of George Floyd, who passed out and died after being pinned by the neck to the ground by an officer's knee for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis. He repeatedly said he could not breathe in the final minutes of his life.

"We are watching the hurt and pain so many people are expressing after the tragic death of George Floyd and are committed to taking new actions to make sure something like this doesn't happen in San Diego," Mayor Kevin Faulconer said.

In a carotid restraint -- a type of so-called chokehold also known as a "sleeper hold" -- an officer applies pressure to vascular veins on the side of a detainee's neck to render the person unconscious in a matter of seconds. A different type of chokehold puts pressure on the front of the neck and throat, cutting off air, but if done wrong, the sleeper hold can also asphyxiate.

The use of the carotid restraint locally has caused "much concern and frustration by many in our minority communities," Faulconer said.

The statement released by Gore reads as follows:

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