Wayne County Commissioner Calls For Ban On Choke Holds

WAYNE COUNTY, MI — Wayne County Commission Vice-Chair Pro Temp Jewel Ware recently called for a ban on the use of choke holds by police officers and to refrain from the use of deadly force.

Ware discussed the use of violence Thursday at a commission meeting and gave a presentation on the topic.

“With all the injustices going on, this is something we need to do,” Ware, who sponsored the resolution, said in a statement.

Wayne County commissioners unanimously adopted the resolution, which also calls on the
Michigan Legislature to provide additional funding for police training.

Ware’s resolution was inspired by worldwide protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man whose death led to criminal accusations against four Minneapolis officers, as well as similar events over the past decade, Ware said.

The resolution specifically urges police departments to:

• Ban chokeholds and strangleholds.
• Require officers to de-escalate situations before using force.
• Require officers to give a verbal warning before shooting.
• Require officers to exhaust all other reasonable alternatives before using deadly force.
• Require officers to intervene to stop another officer from using excessive force.
• Ban officers from shooting at moving vehicles.
• Require comprehensive reporting of police encounters.
• Require officers to be trained to identify and recognize those who have mental and
physical disabilities.
• Review body camera and police car recordings as a form of accountability.

The resolution supports Michigan Senate Bill 945 and Michigan House Bill 5837, which
would amend the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards Act, to establish
minimum standards for the training and continuing education of law enforcement officers to
avoid incidents of violent or fatal encounters.

It also supports The Justice in Policing Act of 2020, H.R. 7120, recently introduced in the
U.S. House of Representatives to establish a national standard for the operation of police
departments and that would provide accountability for, training of and restricted use of force by
police officers.

The resolution will be sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Legislature and Michigan’s
Congressional delegation, as well as other law enforcement and elected officials.