Gov. Tony Evers has ordered the Wisconsin State Patrol and other state law enforcement agencies to update their use of force policies to prohibit chokeholds, unless as a last resort.
The Evers executive order came Wednesday after the Assembly’s bipartisan racial disparities task force issued 18 recommendations to address policing practices statewide.
The task force stopped short of calling for a total ban on chokeholds and no-knock warrants as Evers first called for last year after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Evers’ order applies only to the Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Capitol Police and the Department of Natural Resources Division of Public Safety and Resource Protection.
“We’re getting to work here on the state level to make sure we’re leading by example and setting the bar in Wisconsin,” said Evers in a statement. “Wisconsinites across our state are demanding action and meaningful, systemic change—this is a critically important step, but it can't be the last. Our Badger Bounceback agenda includes several measures on policing accountability and transparency and I am hopeful these provisions will receive bipartisan support so we can continue the important work of keeping our promises of a more just, more fair, and more equitable state.”
The Wisconsin Assembly’s bipartisan racial disparities task force issued 18 recommendations on Wednesday. The group stopped short Wednesday of calling for a total ban on chokeholds and no-knock warrants as Gov. Tony Evers wants.
The governor had signed Executive Order #84 in August, calling for a special session on issues of police accountability and transparency, but the Legislature gaveled out without taking action.
To read Executive Order #111, click here.
