Police in Indiana now have to follow the same rules when it comes to using chokeholds on the job.
The Indiana Law Enforcement Academy has established a new use of force policy stating that chokeholds can only be used in a situation in which serious bodily injury could happen to an officer. The move was banned in 2020 by Indianapolis Metro Police after the death of George Floyd.
“Well, it’s the highest threshold (for deadly force) that we have,” says Tim Horty, executive director of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, “the standard is serious bodily injury, so if I push you in the chest is that substantial risk of serious bodily injury? Probably not, but if I come at you with a knife and there is an imminent threat of serious bodily injury you don’t have to wait until that individual plunges a knife in your chest to use deadly force.”
Horty tells WISH-TV the chokehold policy is based on “reasonableness” and is the result of standards established by Indiana state statutes, United States Supreme Court rulings, and Indiana case law.
There is a gray area when it comes to deadly force, says Horty. That’s why he felt it was necessary to establish a clear rule for all Indiana police officers.
Horty explains to WISH-TV, “if it were an easy standard then anyone could do it. That’s what makes this job so tough. That’s what makes it a difficult position for all of us. That’s why we think it’s important to have a standardized policy around the state so that every officer has a pretty fair idea of what is reasonable and what is not.”
The chokehold policy could change if new laws are created that would affect police use of force.
4 comments
Ever since the George Floyd ruling that police cannot use so called deadly force, the country is being over run with crime and young thugs that don’t have to pay the price for the crimes they do and it’s only gonna get worse politicians don’t care what US citizens have to put up with
When a police officer really feels his life is in extream danger then all rules should come off! Period
What in the name of safety is this, why don’t you just take all our officers weapons and give them a stick and a whistle.
This is absolutely ludicrous, let’s protect the criminals. Whatever fool or fools came up with this I certainly hope that you or your family never need an officer.
I believe for the most part, many are either ignorant to legal protocol and the laws that oversee or govern them and others are deprived of any credibility so much that any given officer can use excessive force and get away with it. Their word holds so much more weight than a lame citizen. Let’s set the record straight. Instead of attempting to circumvent the underlined issues, the legalities of protocols such as these are formidable in a sense and thereby passively accepted.