The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported on July 13, 2021
Missouri police officers would be prohibited from using chokeholds to subdue crime suspects under a sweeping package of law enforcement reforms to be signed by Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday.
The legislation includes the chokehold ban and an initiative that would provide feminine hygiene products such as tampons to female prison inmates.
It also bars police from having sexual relations with detainees.
The chokehold ban was originally sponsored by Sen. Brian Williams, D-University City, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.
The Brennan Center for Justice said nine states and Washington, D.C., enacted complete bans on chokeholds and other neck restraints, while eight states enacted legislation restricting their use to instances in which officers are legally justified to use deadly force.
Williams earlier said Floyd should still be alive.
“We cannot bring him back, but we can ban police chokeholds to make sure deaths like his do not happen in Missouri. This bill will save Black lives, and its passage is a monumental step forward on an issue that has failed to make progress in Missouri until now.”
– Senator Brian Williams