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Utah Senate approves peace-officer amendments banning knee-on-neck restraint
Summary
The Utah Senate passed First Substitute House Bill 5,007 after sponsors described months of bipartisan talks with law enforcement and community groups. The bill bans knee-on-neck restraint as a practice, creates felony tiers based on injury severity, and codifies limits on choke holds.
The Utah State Senate on the second-reading calendar passed First Substitute House Bill 5,007, a set of peace-officer amendments that sponsors described as the result of bipartisan negotiations and extensive stakeholder input.
Senator Michael Vickers, the bill’s floor sponsor, told colleagues the measure was drafted after broad outreach that included police chiefs, the statewide sheriffs association, prosecutors and community leaders. “As things have unfolded across the country as you looked at what happened in Minnesota with Mister Floyd,” Vickers said on the floor, “we sat down, and we talked an awful lot. … This bill sends the right message that in the state of Utah, we pause, we take things seriously, and we value people's lives.”
The bill’s core provisions as presented on the floor include an explicit prohibition of placing a knee on a person’s neck as a tactic and tiered criminal penalties tied to resulting bodily injury: the sponsor described second‑ and third‑degree felony exposure for severe injury and first‑degree felony when the restraint causes death. The sponsor also said the measure clarifies that choke holds are not an approved restraining tactic for routine use and updates training and tactics language to align policy with current practice.
Senator Escamilla, a co-sponsor, and others emphasized the bill is “a first step” that balances public-safety concerns with reforms aimed at preventing lethal restraint techniques. Multiple senators offered personal reflections and support on the floor; Senator Anderson described a period of “personal reflection” and recorded an aye vote.
The Senate completed a roll-call vote after floor discussion and the clerk announced the bill had passed as presented (the clerk announced 29 votes in favor as recorded on the floor). Sponsors thanked colleagues and the multiple parties who contributed to the negotiated product and said further legislation addressing tactics and training may follow.
The bill will be returned to the House for any required concurrence and final enrollment actions.
The Senate record shows the bill advanced under suspension of the rules and a recorded roll-call was announced by the clerk following the sponsor’s final summation.
