Banning Chokeholds: Crucial Step to Protect Civilian Lives in US

Abstract

Police Departments with Chokehold Issue 14th March 2022 Author () Why it Matters Chokehold is a controversial issue that stirs hot debates within the United States and globally. Unfortunately, even with over decade-old policies banning or prohibiting any form of neck restraint, cases of chokeholds mortality remains well recorded amongst American civilians. Eric Ganner and George Floyd are the most notable high-profile deaths attributed to chokeholds, with Floyds' death being the most recent in mid-2020. Then what is this animal we are calling chokehold? Chokehold is a general term for an exercise that restricts or limits blood and airflow through the neck. It happens when an officer applies an arm or knee along/across a victim’s neck to blood the arteries that circulate air and blood to the head through the neck. To this effect, any officer that exercises a chokehold on a suspect ignores the rule of law that advocates for recognition and respect for life as a fundamental human right. Why exert excessive force on a suspect, mainly when the suspect does not express any signs of resistance to arrest or is unarmed? Could this routine of use-of-force strategy be coined around racial biases that the actual depth of crime? In either case, life remains crucial, and any act that a law enforcer may exercise that poses a threat to such a life should be banned. Several recommendations can best address the issue of chokeholds among police officers. One is implicit bias training on the officer. It has become a sincere concern how many police officers ignore even the basics in life, like acknowledging the equality that nature bestows all humans through the gift of life. No one has two lives. To this effect, life remains precious, thus the need to respect it as a fundamental human right shared equally by all. Training officers on such insights will offer them a better understanding of life. Therefore, they aim to ensure their roles match the demands of enhancing life protection at all times without any discrimination. Though statistics indicate that law enforcers apply excessive force, brutality, and violence based on race, with the people of color suffering severely, training them on racial bias can help them overlook such assumptions and express dignity and diplomacy in their decisions while...