Washington state Senate unanimously approves ban on hog-tying by police

By HALLIE GOLDEN
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington state Senate has unanimously approved legislation that would ban police from hog-tying suspects, a restraint technique that has long drawn concern due to the risk of suffocation. The vote Tuesday came nearly four years after Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in Tacoma facedown with his hands and feet cuffed together behind him. Many cities and counties have banned the practice, but it remains in use in others. The U.S. Department of Justice has recommended against the practice since at least 1995 to avoid deaths in custody.