Mayor De Blasio Says He Would Veto Bill That Would Make Chokeholds Illegal
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Mayor Bill de Blasio says he would veto a proposed New York City Council bill that would make chokeholds illegal.
The mayor's spokesman said Tuesday that de Blasio believes the NYPD internal policy is the best way to regulate the practice.
Chokeholds are banned by the NYPD.
"I take a deep breath, I hear the mayor's opinion and we move forward and hopefully start a substantive conversation," Councilmember Rory Lancman (D-24th), who sponsors the bill, told WCBS 880's Rich Lamb.
Mayor De Blasio Says He Would Veto Bill That Would Make Chokeholds Illegal
"I'm certainly open to changing the bill to address legitimate concerns from the mayor, the police unions," Lancman added.
The City Council took up the measure after Eric Garner, a Staten Island man, was placed in a chokehold by a police officer.
He died a short time later. The incident was captured on video.
The NYPD and an independent agency tasked with investigating excessive force claims are inconsistent in determining how and when officers are held accountable for using prohibited chokeholds, according to a report released Monday by the city's new inspector general for police.
Police union leaders have opposed the bill, which has not yet gone to a vote.
They have been in a feud with de Blasio. His decision to oppose the chokehold legislation could be viewed as an attempt to repair that relationship.
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