Police force and procedures

It seems that a lot of controversy surrounding police brutality revolves around the use of various choke holds, knees into the neck as the suspect is lying on the ground. The City of Spokane and the police department, I recently read, are going to review their procedures. Having studied martial arts for almost 20 years, I would like my two-cent suggestion to be considered too, perhaps as a way to resolve this issue.

Once the suspect is down on the ground and is neutralized, why not put them in ankle “and” hand cuffs that are connected to each other by a chain that runs from their ankles to their groin area. The ankle chains should be no wider than two feet. This would prevent the suspect from running away. If the suspect is violent, the chain connection between the wrists and ankles can be connected behind the suspect’s back so the suspect would not be able to grab objects or raise their arms to hit and fight with the officers. If non-violent, the chain connection should be put in front of the suspect so to eliminate breathing issues.

Once the suspect has the cuffs attached to his ankles and wrists, no choke holds or knees to the neck should be allowed. Period. There would be no reason to do so at this point.

For the city’s consideration.

Gregory Ruff

Spokane