An NBC News analysis found that the Minneapolis Police Department rendered 44 people unconscious with neck restraints over five years.
Since 2015, Minneapolis police used neck restraints at least 237 times with 16% of those losing consciousness. Three-fifths of those subjected to neck restraints were black. A neck restraint is defined by police as using an arm or leg to compress someone's neck without restricting airflow.
Several law enforcement experts told NBC that the tactic Derek Chauvin used against George Floyd isn't sanctioned by any agency and that the PD's number of restraints were "high". A Minneapolis city official said kneeling on a suspect's neck is not permitted by the police department.
One law enforcement expert said that by using the neck restraint tactic "it's a self-fulfilling tragedy."