Indiana police officers must now adhere to a new use-of-force policy established by the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. This policy permits chokeholds, which the Indiana Metropolitan Police Department banned in 2020 following George Floyd's death. The academy clarified that chokeholds can only be used when deadly force is authorized, aiming to provide officers with an additional means of protection in life-threatening situations.
Tim Horty, the executive director of the training academy, emphasized that chokeholds are only justified in deadly force scenarios. The policy ensures all officers statewide have a consistent understanding of force usage, grounded in reasonableness as defined by Indiana state statutes, supreme court rulings, and case law.
Horty explained that the threshold for deadly force is severe bodily injury. For example, a minor push does not meet this threshold, but an imminent knife attack does. He acknowledged the complexities in determining reasonable force, highlighting the necessity of a standardized policy to guide officers uniformly across the state.
Efforts by I-Team 8 to get comments from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) and the Indianapolis Use of Force Review Board about the new standards were unsuccessful, as both declined to be interviewed. The training academy noted that the policy might evolve with new legislation affecting the use of force.
Link: WishTV
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