Wisconsin bans use of chokeholds among raft of policing bills

Wisconsin's Democratic governor approved a series of policing bills bills on Tuesday, including a ban on the use of chokeholds by officers except in life-threatening situations.

"These bills are part of a package of bipartisan policing changes and are only a step toward making meaningful progress for a more just, more equitable, and safer state for everyone," Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement Tuesday. Among the changes signed into law is a measure requiring the Wisconsin Department of Justice to collect data and publish an annual report on police use-of-force incidents, according to a release from Evers' office. The governor also signed a bill establishing a $600,000 grant program for cities with 60,000 or more people to fund community-oriented policing programs, as well as a bill requiring public access to law enforcement use-of-force policies, his office said.