Greensboro Police Department Outlines Policy Changes After Death of George Floyd

Greensboro police officials are sharing changes they say they've made in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

In a statement, the department said policy now explicitly prohibits certain kinds of restraint techniques.

"GPD does not teach or train its officers to use chokeholds or strangleholds, and prohibits any restraint or use of force which restricts breathing," the statement reads. "This morning GPD modified its policy to strictly prohibit these restraint methods absent the need to use deadly force."

The Greensboro Police Department was criticized in 2018 after Marcus Smith, an unarmed black man, died shortly after being restrained by GPD officers. In that case, officers used a restraint technique similar to a hogtie. They faced no criminal charges in the incident. 

The department has also modified its policy to require officers to intervene if they witness an excessive use of force, and to report the incident to supervisors.