The Laguna Beach Police Department has suspended use of the carotid hold pending a review by the agency’s top brass, Police Chief Laura Farinella said this week.
The carotid hold is a chokehold that cuts off blood flow through the carotid arteries to the brain. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom instructed POST, the state’s commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, to stop training the carotid hold to officers.
During a Laguna Beach City Council meeting held Tuesday, Farinella said via Zoom that she made the decision after reviewing the 8 Can’t Wait recommendations proposed by Campaign Zero, a grassroots effort to reform policing in the United States.
“I have reviewed these eight topics and I believe our current policies are in line with the recommendations with the exception of the carotid hold and, as a result, I have suspended use of this tactic until a further review can be conducted,” Farinella said.
She did not offer an estimated timeline of how long this review might last.
Police reform advocates’ call for a ban on law enforcement officers’ use of chokeholds and strongholds have gained a new wind after a former Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd.
Farinella said her department has already employed some of the 8 Can’t Wait recommendations for awhile. For instance, all Laguna Beach officers have been trained in de-escalation techniques and this training is required every two years. The Department’s policy also requires officers to “make reasonable efforts” to warn someone that deadly force may be used.
“Our officers have a duty to intervene if they observe an officer use force that is beyond was is objectively reasonable under the circumstances,” she said.
However, Farinella did not follow the recommendation to ban officers from shooting at moving vehicles.
“Shooting at or from a moving vehicle is allowed only when an officer believes there is no other reasonable means available to prevent the vehicle from being used as a weapon and it is necessary to protect the community and officers,” she said.
Laguna Beach police employees will attend a four-hour class on preventing bias-based policing starting next week, Farinella said. She’s also open to hosting forums in the future to listen to community input on this topic.
The City Council unanimously approved a proclamation Tuesday expressing its solidarity with those peacefully protesting against racism, injustice, and hate. Mayor Bob Whalen said he believed it was important for him to read the entire proclamation and in an extraordinary step, all the councilmembers agreed to also sign it.
