Sonoma Sheriff’s Office bans use of controversial choke hold

The director of the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach, the citizen oversight group known as IOLERO, today made this announcement:

I am pleased to announce that the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) has banned the use of the carotid hold, effective immediately.

The carotid hold involves applying pressure to the sides of the neck with an arm that can almost immediately block blood flow in the carotid arteries and render a person unconscious. The use of the carotid hold has been an ongoing issue of debate in Sonoma County and across the nation.

The current Community Advisory Council (CAC) has continued to review the use of the carotid hold and partnered with Sonoma State University (SSU) to study all aspects of use of force. The partnership between IOLERO, the CAC and SSU had already started comparing policies of sheriffs’ departments throughout California. During our research, we learned that not all sheriffs’ offices use the carotid hold.

The use of the carotid hold and its elimination took on particular urgency in Sonoma County since the death of David Ward in November of 2019. At that time, the SCSO declined to eliminate use of the carotid hold. However, the SCSO was open to continuing the discussion about eliminating the use of the carotid hold pending the CAC’s current research.

Last week, Governor Newsom ordered the state police training program to stop teaching officers the use of the carotid hold. In response, under the totality of the circumstances, the SCSO decided to proactively eliminate the use of the carotid hold effective immediately.

The CAC and SSU will continue to evaluate the use of force and de-escalation policies of the Sheriff’s Office. We look forward to continuing to build a relationship with our Sheriff’s Office and keeping this dialogue open.

During this time of great grief and uncertainty, I hope this message brings you solace and a sense of optimism.