NYPD Civilian Review Board: Chokehold *NOT* Illegal!

Dispels myth that chokeholds are illegal

The Eric Garner #ICantBreathe protesters are under the mistaken belief that chokeholds are illegal in New York City.  In its report “A Mutated Rule: Lack of Enforcement in the Face of Persistent Chokehold Complaints in New York City” the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board says:

As defined, chokeholds, though not illegal [emphasis added OBS], are unambiguously prohibited by department policy. Id. vii

Furthermore:

The ultimate finding of the report is that, although chokeholds are unequivocally prohibited as a matter of policy, not of criminal law [emphasis added OBS] , the tools used to implement and enforce that prohibition have failed to reduce its prevalence. Id. 1

One more point from the report:

Although he did not attack the officers or attempt to flee, Mr. Garner resisted arrest [emphasis added OBS] . Id.

Ok?  Now that we have these three points resolved, we can discuss the case with some minimal level of agreement, yes? – Grizzly Joe