Bill > S2617

Introduced Session

This bill establishes a first degree crime of a law enforcement officer choking another person. Under the bill, a law enforcement officer who knowingly places pressure on a person's throat, windpipe, or carotid artery, thereby hindering or preventing that person's ability to breathe, or interfering with the flow of blood from the person's heart to the brain, is guilty of a crime of the first degree. First degree crimes are punishable by a prison term of 10 to 20 years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. On June 5, 2020, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General issued notice that it will ban police departments from using chokeholds, carotid artery neck restraints, or similar tactics, except where deadly force is necessary. This bill prohibits these chokeholds. The bill is designated as George Floyd's Law, after George Floyd, who died while being choked by a Minneapolis law enforcement officer during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill.

Committee Categories

Shirley Turner (D)*,  Sandra Cunningham (D),  Troy Singleton (D), 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (on 06/25/2020)