MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez and several police officers took a knee with a group of at-risk teens on Thursday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens
The teenagers are members of the Miami-Dade County Public School’s 5,000 Role Models of Excellence Project mentorship program. They participated in the Miami Dolphins’ Police and Youth Conference.
“This is important because we worked together for a long time to build bridges,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez announced the banning of the Applied Triangle Carotid Restraint, better known as the sleeper hold. He said he heard the cries of the community and spoke to experts and to his command.
“I made the decision in this community to show the way, to show that law enforcement is listening to you,” Ramirez said.
Out of 624,000 calls for service, there were 288 incidents where use of force was used, Ramirez said, adding the ACTR was used 20 times. The Hialeah Police Department has also revised the policy.
Most departments explicitly ban neck restraints, but some, like Hollywood and Coral Springs still allow them – even though the practice is not included during training.