Does your Use of Force Policy allow for “chokeholds” and “strangleholds”?

No.  “Chokeholds” and “strangleholds” are, by their very definition, designed to restrict airflow.  Because of the obvious danger, these types of holds were eliminated from our use of force policy years ago.  We do allow officers, if they have been trained (only 12 of 68 commissioned police officers) and only in specific situations, to utilize a Carotid Control Hold.  The Carotid Control Hold is reserved for situations that compromise an officer’s ability to utilize other physical techniques when apprehending a violent offender to prevent harm to the officer or a citizen.  The Carotid Control Hold is a technique that does not permit body weight, including the placement of the leg, to be applied on the vascular area of the neck.  This is substantially different from a “chokehold” in that it does NOT restrict airflow.

Show All Answers

1. Does your Use of Force Policy allow for “chokeholds” and “strangleholds”?
2. Does your Use of Force Policy require a warning before shooting?
3. What are your department Calls for Service, Arrest, and Use of Force statistics?
4. Does your Use of Force Policy require officers to exhaust all alternatives before shooting?
5. Does your Use of Force Policy ban shooting at moving vehicles?
6. Does your Use of Force Policy include a duty to intervene provision?
7. Does your Use of Force Policy require a "use of force continuum?"
8. Does your policy require comprehensive reporting?
9. Do your officers wear body cameras or have in-car cameras?
10. Is the Puyallup Police Department a State Accredited Agency?
11. How does your department connect with your community?
12. Does your department conduct training in de-escalation, crises intervention, and anti-bias training?
13. Does your department have a bias-based policing policy?
14. Does your department have a formal complaint policy?
15. What are the diversity statistics for the police department?