NEW ULM — New Ulm Police Chief Dave Borchert spoke on police restraint training during Monday’s New Ulm Human Rights Commission meeting.

Chair Larry Czer said Borchert was asked to speak on this issue in light of the death of George Floyd as the result of a chokehold. Czer wanted to make sure the commission had accurate information on this issue.

Borchert said the New Ulm Police Department does not allow chokeholds, and has not, since he started in New Ulm as a peace officer. He was also surprised the Minneapolis Police Department still allowed chokeholds.

Borchert said he was taught chokeholds in police training in the early 1990s, but said even at the time instructors said it was a hold officer would probably never use.

Borchert explained the chokehold can restrict airflow with minimal pressure and is one of the reasons it is not used. Also, he said it is difficult to apply a chokehold. If done wrong a chokehold could crush a person’s windpipe.

“I’ve never been in a department where policy allowed the use of chokeholds,” he said. Police training in New Ulm does not include chokeholds.

Borchert said the mandatory training for Minnesota peace officers includes some annual training courses, OSHA training, crisis conflict and community diversity training every three years, and emergency vehicle operation every five years.

Borchert is responsible for making sure all peace offices in his department comply with training. Borchert said his license could be suspended or revoked if officers are not complying with the training. Elected sheriffs could also have their license revoked if deputies are not complying.

Borchert addressed George Floyd’s death and described it as a homicide.

“That’s not a training issue, that was a homicide,” he said. Borchert was uncertain if there was any training or policy that would correct it. “It was inexcusable. There is no way you can justify that in any way shape or form.”

Borchert said the Minnesota Legislature was looking at police reform, but nothing was accomplished before the session ended. Borchert briefly addressed some of the policy changes that were being discussed.

He said office misconduct is a serious issue. Two of the officers involved in Floyd’s death had previous misconduct citations on file. When asked how these officers could still be serving, Borchert said he did not know. It was a question he could not answer.

Some of the reforms being considered included the State of Minnesota handling serious offenses by officers. The idea is a civilian review committee would be created to judge offenses. It is suggested the oversight board should include civilians and not just attorneys for the state.

An outside agency would need to conduct investigations. Borchert said there were not a lot of options for investigation, but he believes it should be done by the State of Minnesota.

New Ulm has a police review board that is made up of the mayor and two other civilian police commissioners selected by the mayor.

Commissioner Jackie Krehbiel asked Borchert how he expected his officers to act if they had been the officers present when Floyd was placed in the chokehold.

Borchert said he would have expected his officers to intervene. “If we had a civilian doing that to someone it is the same process. You pull the person off, you restrain them, you intervene.”

Commissioner Dan Kalk asked if officers had a duty to intervene when witnessing excessive force and whether this is a policy New Ulm could adopt.

Borchert was confident intervention policy could be required shortly.

The commissioners also asked about prohibiting warrior training.

Warrior training is a method offered to police that teaches police to approach interactions with citizens as a threat.

Borchert said it is a common training method of officers, but the argument against this method is, it creates paranoia by perceiving everyone as a threat. Borchert said New Ulm police do not attend this training.

The Human Rights Commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting is 5:15 p.m. Monday, July 27.