Tucson PD To Stop 'Spit Socks,' Hog Tying After In-Custody Deaths

TUCSON, AZ — Tucson police will do away with two controversial practices following a review of two recent deaths that took place while suspects were in the custody of officers.

The Tucson Police Department outlined the changes, including getting rid of "spit socks" and no longer hog tying suspects, at Wednesday's Tucson City Council meeting. A review of department practices by the Sentinel Event Review Board began after the March death of Damien Alvarado, 29, and the April death of Carlos Adrian Ingram-Lopez, 27, while both were being restrained by police officers.

Spit socks are gauzy hoods used to protect officers from suspects that might spit or act combative while under arrest. They will now be replaced by clear, plastic face shields after the review found that spit socks raised the "distress level" of some people in custody, according to Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus, who spoke at the meeting.

Hog tying — in which someone's hands and feet are bound before the bindings are attached to each other — will be replaced with a new device made of padding that wraps around the legs.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero applauded the changes at the meeting and hoped that the report would be read by all Tucsonans.

“The report is an absolute must-read for all of us and the community as well,” she said.

Three Tucson police officers restrained Ingram-Lopez after his grandmother called 911 in the early morning hours of April 21. Officers chased a naked Ingram-Lopez through a dimly lit garage, wrestled him to the ground and then handcuffed him, positioning him facing down, according to reports by the Arizona Daily Star and Arizona Republic.

Ingram-Lopez was restrained for 12 minutes, according to body-camera video released by Tucson police. He was high on drugs and an autopsy found that he suffocated to death while wearing a spit sock. He likely went into cardiac arrest. Three officers involved resigned before they could be fired.

Alvarado died in police custody in March after fleeing from a hit-and-run accident. He was punched three times by the first officer on the scene and then stunned with a shock of electricity by other officers. The Pima County Medical Examiner ruled his death, a result of cardiac arrest, an accident, according to reports from the Arizona Daily Star.

He complained of not being able to breathe while restrained by handcuffs and bindings on his legs in a downward position.

The review was headed by national criminal justice reform experts and identified 30 contributing factors that led to the two deaths, including communication breakdowns, and a lack of coordination between police and paramedics.

It produced more than 53 recommendations for changes to the city’s police, fire and 911 agencies.

In response, the Tucson police will also make changes to their training in teaching officers how to identify when a suspect is in a life-threatening health crisis. It will also expand access to a voluntary 40-hour course officers can take to learn about handling mental health crises.