NCJ Number
86793
Journal
Criminal Law Bulletin Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: (January/February 1983) Pages: 61-67
Date Published
1983
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The note examines issues pertaining to the Los Angeles v. Lyons case and to the related controversy over police chokeholds.
Abstract
The record shows that in one 18-month period, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers applied chokeholds at least 975 times. Between January 1, 1975, and April 5, 1982, 15 persons died following LAPD officers' use of chokeholds. The controversy poses two questions of vital concern to those interested in effective and humane policing. The first involves the manner in which the courts -- or police administrators -- should determine whether the frequency of any police practice that causes injury or death is excessive. The second question is where are chokeholds most appropriately classified in the Department's 'escalation deescalation' use of force protocol. It seems reasonable to conclude that chokeholds should be classified as a means of deadly force, and a potentially more lethal force than either batons or police adaptations of karate or judo blows. Formal departmental classification of the chokehold as a means of deadly force surely will result in declines in chokehold-related deaths. A total of 28 footnotes are included.