AURORA | City lawmakers Monday night unanimously codified a ban on police using chokeholds and carotid holds during arrests.
Councilmembers Juan Marcano and Angela Lawson introduced the ordinance in June to buttress an existing rules change in the Aurora Police Department. City officials already banned police from using carotid chokeholds in June, and a state bill also outlawed the practice earlier this year.
The ordinance sponsors have said that having the rule on the books in Aurora protects its longevity in the event of an APD policy change or state law change.
Unlike chokeholds, carotid holds restrict blood flow to the brain. Police say they cause suspects to temporarily pass out.
City officials received an avalanche of public criticism specifically about carotid holds and chokeholds after the death of Elijah McClain. APD officers stopped the Black massage therapist and Aurora resident in August 2019 and restrained him in part with a carotid hold.