I understand that it can be hard to grasp, but when I yell continually at someone to relax their arms, or put their arms behind their back, or stop resisting, and they continue to TENSE their arms or pull away -- the use of force will gradually increase until compliance is gained. When you are taken to the ground, you do not all of a sudden lose control of your body and have "no chance to relax."
This doesn't mesh with a common sense understanding of human nature, when it's not just being taken to ground, but also being struck and placed in a choke hold. A lot of people aren't going to relax when they get beaten up
and lose supply to their airway--escalating force or pressure at this point should not be the sole answer in a police officer's mind.
Grabbing at the officer and potentially biting is physically resisting. The "choke-hold" is when pressure is applied to esophagus in an effort to gain control. It's against my department policy to use that (we use carotid control hold). It looked more like trying to gain control of his head, but I would have to look at the video more closely to judge.
First, there's no evidence of any bites outside of the testimony of a dubious party with a sketchy history. Secondly, the carotid control hold is a dangerous--potentially fatal--technique if misapplied. In practice, within a controlled environment, and used on an individual in good health, its proper use
should be safe, but even in the hands of a martial arts expert, I would be concerned about its application on myself. Is it really best policy to promote its use by a body of professionals with a varying degree of competency in this technique? Especially given the unpredictable nature of street engagements where a fatal slip in technique could occur?
