On Tuesday, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced that the city would be banning police chokeholds, aka “strangleholds,” while updating guidelines to stipulate that officers have a “duty to intervene” when excessive force is used on a subject. The announcement follows a review of Birmingham police policies by the City’s Public Safety Committee, which includes Revill Law Firm founder and Lead Attorney Victor Revill.
The city’s actions represent an outgrowth of growing support for police reform and national efforts such as the #8CANTWAIT campaign, which have gained traction following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd was killed by a police officer who knelt on his neck for a full 8 minutes and 46 seconds, even as he repeatedly told the officer he could not breathe. Four officers total involved in Floyd’s death have since been charged with murder, including second-degree murder for one officer and a failure to stop the use of excessive force in the case of the other three.
Also on Tuesday, the Birmingham City Council approved a five-year, $7.5 million deal with Axon Enterprise Inc. to outfit police vehicles with body-car-taser camera systems. Following the recent 30-day review of the Birmingham Police Department, Woodfin has stated that most of the city’s policies are in line with the #8CANTWAIT campaign.
Here at Revill Law Firm, we are proud to support efforts to increase police reform and racial justice. Attorney Henry Revill and the rest of our skilled legal team stand with the #8CANTWAIT movement, and are here to do our part to enact systemic change. We have a history of standing up to unlawful actions by the police, and will continue to keep advocating for those who have had their rights trampled on. Call our criminal defense lawyers today to request a free consultation, and remember that you can count on Revill Law Firm to fight for you.
Revill Law Firm is available by phone at (205) 928-6544, or you can contact us online.