MIDDLETOWN, Del. (AP) - A mayor in Delaware announced he will introduce a resolution to ban police chokeholds in his town.
“We wanted to show those in Middletown that we are taking this seriously and want to be extremely proactive in doing the right thing now,” Middletown Mayor Kenneth L. Branner Jr. told the Delaware State News.
He announced his proposal on Sunday at a protest over the death of George Floyd.
Floyd died May 25 after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into his neck as he lay handcuffed and gasping to breathe. The mayor said he looked for a town policy on chokeholds but couldn’t find any. Now he plans to introduce a ban at next month’s council meeting.
Branner said he “can’t imagine any of our police officers would not support it,” and that he expects no issues on getting something done after speaking with fellow council members.
Middletown also is working on a diversity training program for its police force of 38 officers, he said.
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