Update: Neck Holds and Carotid Restraints Prohibited in New Policy

Update: 6/19/20

The Use of Force policy around Neck Holds and Carotid Restraints has been released. Below is the updated policy with the changes in Bold

8.050 – Use of Force Definitions (changes only)
Types of Force:
Force: Any physical coercion by an officer in performance of
official duties, including the following types of force:
Type III – Force that causes or is reasonably expected to cause,
great bodily harm, substantial bodily harm, loss of
consciousness, or death.
The use of the following is a Type III:

• Neck and carotid holds
• Use of stop sticks on a motorcycle
  -Impact weapon strikes to the head
  For further guidance, see 8.400.
  Deadly Force: The application of force through the use of
  firearms or any other means reasonably likely to cause death,
  great bodily harm. For further guidance, see 8.400.
  When reasonably likely to cause death or Great Bodily Harm,
  Deadly Force includes:
• Shooting a firearm at a person
• Hard strike to a person’s head, neck, or throat with an
  impact weapon
• Striking a person’s head into a hard, fixed object (examples
  include but are not limited to concrete objects or surfaces,
  or solid metal structures such as bars or guardrails).
• Using stop-sticks on a moving motorcycle.
• Neck and carotid restraints may only be used when deadly
  force is authorized. See 8.300 POL 9
  Additional guidance on reporting force may be found in 8.400
  Head and Neck:
  Seattle Police Manual
  Head Control: A trained technique utilized to control the
  movement of a subject’s head or neck that does not involve a
  neck or carotid restraint.
  Neck Restraint (Prohibited): Any technique involving the use
  of an arm or other firm object to attempt to control or disable a
  subject by applying pressure against the windpipe, or the frontal
  area of the neck with the purpose or intent or effect of
  controlling a subject’s movement or rendering a subject
  unconscious by blocking the passage of air through the
  windpipe..
  Carotid Restraint (Prohibited): Any technique which is applied
  in an effort to control or disable a subject by applying pressure
  to the carotid artery, the jugular vein, or the sides of the neck
  with the purpose or intent or effect of controlling a subject’s
  movement or rendering a subject unconscious by constricting
  the flow of blood to and from the brain. A carotid restraint is an
  intentional force application.
  8.200 – Using Force (changes only)

1. Use of Force: When Prohibited

• Officers are prohibited from using neck and carotid restraints in
  all circumstances
• An officer will not use force to punish or retaliate
• An officer will not use force against individuals who only verbally
  confront them unless the vocalization impedes a legitimate law
  enforcement function (See 5.160 – Observation of Officers).
• An officer will not use force to stop a subject from swallowing a
  substance that is already in their mouth; however:
• Officers may use reasonable force, not including hands to
  the neck or insertion of any objects or hands into a
  subject’s mouth, to prevent a suspect from putting a
  substance in their mouth
• In the event that an officer reasonably believes that a suspect
  has ingested a harmful substance, officers shall summon
  medical assistance as soon as feasible.
  Seattle Police Manual
  Page 4 of 6
• An officer may not use force to extract a substance or item from
  inside the body of a suspect.
  Exception: This prohibition does not apply when force is
  necessary to facilitate a forensic blood draw. In that
  situation, officers will document any use of reportable
  force.
  8.400 – Use of Force Reporting and
  Investigation (changes only)
  8.400-POL-1 Use of Force Reporting and Investigation
  Force Threshold Examples
  Type III
  Force that causes or
  is reasonably
  expected to cause
  great bodily harm,
  substantial bodily
  harm, loss of
  consciousness, or
  death
  Great Bodily Harm
  Substantial Bodily Harm
  Deadly Force
  Criminal Conduct by Officer(s)
  related to the use of force
  Serious Policy Violation related to
  the use-of-force (See 5.002)
  Discharging a firearm at a person.
  See 8.300 POL 3
  Intentional Application of Neck and
  Carotid Holds. See 8.300 POL-9
  Deployment of stop sticks on a
  vehicle causing injury greater than
  Broken bone or
  tooth
  Potentially serious
  head injury
  Dislocation, even if
  reset
  Loss of
  Consciousness
  Permanent
  disfigurement or
  loss of the function
  of any bodily part of
  organ
  Incidents where the
  suspect is admitted
  Seattle Police Manual
  Page 5 of 6
  Force Threshold Examples
  Type II or use of stop sticks against
  a motorcycle. See 8.300 POL 6 (4)
  Impact weapon strike to the head,
  neck, throat, spine or genitals. See
  8.300 POL 4
  Striking a person’s head into a
  hard, fixed object (examples
  include, but are not limited to
  concrete objects or surfaces, or
  solid metal structures such as bars
  or guardrails).
  Canine physical contact resulting in
  greater than Type II injury
  Vehicle-related force tactics
  resulting in or reasonably likely to
  cause Type III injury. See 8.300
  POL 6
  to the hospital as a
  result of the force

1. Officers, Including Witness Officers, Will Verbally Notify a
   Supervisor Following Any Use of Reportable Force, As Soon As
   Feasible
   a. Officers who use reportable force while on-duty shall call for
   an on-duty SPD sergeant

• Known inadvertent contact with a subject’s neck during the
  application of a head control tactic, or other control technique
  which results in momentary contact with the neck of a subject
  without the risk or intention of restricting the flow of blood or
  oxygen is not a neck or carotid restraint, but must be screened
  with a supervisor.
  

1. The Sergeant Will Review the Incident and Do One of the
   Following:

• Classify the investigation as Handcuff Discomfort, Type I or Type
  II as appropriate.
• Call the on-call FIT representative via Communications and
  screen a Type III response by the FIT
• Any contact with the neck, causing or reasonably likely to cause
  injury or loss of consciousness will be screened with FIT.

Original:

As concerns have been raised around the country about the use of neck-holds and carotid restraints, we have received many questions locally about the Seattle Police Department’s policy on these tactics.   SPD’s policy on such restraints, which has not changed substantively since 2014, states in full:

8.300 – POL- 9 Use of Force – Neck Holds and Carotid Restraints

Neck restraints and carotid restraints are strongly disfavored by the Department due to the fact they create a high risk of injury or death when improperly applied. Any use of a neck or carotid restraint is a Type III use-of-force, will result in a FIT investigation, and will be subject to strict scrutiny by the Force Review Board.

Known inadvertent contact with a subject’s neck during the application of a head control tactic, or other control technique which results in momentary contact with the neck of a subject without the risk or intention of restricting the flow of blood or oxygen is not a neck or carotid restraint, but must be screened with a supervisor.  Any contact with the neck, causing or reasonably likely to cause injury or loss of consciousness will be screened with FIT.

1. Officers Are Prohibited From Using Neck and Carotid Restraints Except When Deadly Force is Justified

2. Officers Will Place the Subject in the Recovery Position and Summon Medical Aid Immediately Following the Application of Neck and Carotid Restraint, ifFeasible

3. Officers Shall Monitor All Subjects Who Have Been Subjected to Neck and Carotid Restraints While They Are in Police Custody

SPD’s use of force policies are all online and can be found here.