On Sunday, the Pasadena Police Department suspended the use of the carotid restraint control hold — a type of chokehold used by police that cuts off blood flow through the carotid arteries to the brain — until further notice.
The announcement came after Governor Newsom expressed concerns about the chokehold during a press conference Friday.
“At the end of the day, the carotid hold that literally is designed to stop people’s blood from flowing into their brain. That has no place any longer in 21st century practices,” Newsom said.
The governor has directed the California’s Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training to stop providing training in the use of the carotid restraint and has introduced new legislation (AB 1196) which is intended to ban its use.
For its part, the Pasadena Police Department says it expects to get further clarity regarding this issue in the next few weeks.
