Board limits chokeholds, adopts protest policy for police

SANDUSKY — A state board recently announced a new policy to limit when police officers can use a chokehold. The board also established the groundwork for a statewide protest standard. The Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board released its new standards on Friday, close to the end of a year that saw widespread civil unrest following the killing of a Black man, George Floyd, by Minneapolis police officers. "We must rebuild trust between the public and law enforcement, and these changes continue to build on Ohio's work to improve community-police relations," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. "Law enforcement agencies that are certified in the Ohio Collaborative's standards show commitment to following, and oftentimes exceeding, Ohio's best practices for serving and protecting our diverse communities." Police agencies aren't required to be certified in Ohio Collaborative's policies, though most are. About 80% of Ohio's police officers are certified in Collaborative policies or are in the process of becoming certified. Under the new policy, agencies already certified in Collaborative standards, or those seeking recertification, must follow the two new policies: • Police officers can only use chokeholds if they are using deadly force to protect themselves or others from serious injury or death • Agencies must establish written policies on how they would respond to large protests or demonstrations, and these policies must address a number of factors, including communication with media and the public and crowd management tactics, with the purpose of "(enabling) Ohio's citizens to safely and peacefully exercise their Constitutional rights … while also ensuring public safety and safety of their officers," according to the Collaborative. "The intent of any enforcement response is to avoid police actions that unnecessarily cause an escalation," the Collaborative's written policy states. Law enforcement agencies are asked to adhere to the RDFC model, which is an acronym: • R — Reasonable: Restrict the fewest freedoms possible. • D — Disarming: Limit use of force, coercion and intrusiveness. • F — Focused: Target only harmful behaviors and conditions • C — Consistent: Deploy predictable and unbiased tactics "Law enforcement should be careful to ensure their response to mass demonstrations are proportional to the actions and the mood of the crowd," the policy states. "When police action is needed, it should be directed toward only those individuals displaying harmful behaviors such as violence, property destruction or other serious crimes."