New York News

NY Congressman Drafts Bill Making Police Chokeholds A Crime

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published April 27, 2015 at 5:07 PM EDT

A New York congressman wants to make the use of chokeholds by police officers a federal crime.

Brooklyn Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said on Monday that he's sponsoring a bill that would amend civil rights laws that deal with excessive force. The measure would define chokeholds as a deprivation of rights under the color of law.

Hakeem made the announcement outside NYPD headquarters, joined by the mother of Eric Garner, the unarmed man killed in a police chokehold last year on Staten Island.

The medical examiner classified Garner's videotaped death as a homicide. A grand jury declined to press charges against the officer.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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