Chokeholds by police addressed by board

Anewminimumstandard for officers responding to mass protests prohibits the use of chokeholds and neck restraints under most circumstances and includes other policies adoptedby the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board.

Gov. Mike DeWine called for the collaborative to addresschokeholdsandmass protests in the aftermath of nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd this spring in Minneapolis.

“We must rebuild trust between the public and law enforcement, and these changes continue to build on Ohio’s work to improve community-policerelations,” saidDeWine. “Lawenforcement agencies that are certified in the Ohio Collaborative’s standards show commitment to following, and oftentimes exceeding, Ohio’s best practices.”

Under the new standards, law enforcement agencies seeking certification or recertification in the collaborative’s standards are required to ban the use of chokeholds and neck restraints unless officers are justified in using deadly force to defend themselves or others from serious injury or death.

To be certified in the new mass protest standard, agencies must create a policy aimed at protecting the public and officerswhile upholding the First Amendment freedoms of expression, assembly and the press.

The policy should restrict as fewfreedoms as possible; limit the use of force, coercion and intrusiveness; only target harmful behaviorsand conditions; and use predictable and unbiased tactics.

The Ohio Collaborative was formed in 2015 to create minimumstandardsforagencies across the state, including use of force, deadly force and hiring and recruitment. More than 450agencieshave complied with those standards, and another 113 are in the process of being certified. Those agencies account for 94% of the state’s officers and serve 86% of Ohio’s population.