While the Yonkers Police Department and the White Plains police union have barred their officers from operating in New York City due police reforms that go beyond banning chokeholds, the Pelham and Pelham Manor police departments aren’t generally taking similar steps.

In the summer, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a bill that would charge an officer with a misdemeanor for using certain physical steps to perform an arrest, including “sitting, kneeling, or standing on the chest or back in a manner that compresses the diaphragm.” These changes in police protocol were made as a direct result of the killing of George Floyd.

The Yonkers Police Department and the White Plains Police Benevolent Agency have said they are not opposed to the law’s bar on chokeholds, but said the other restrictions limit officers making an arrest to too high a degree and endanger the lives of police officers and civilians alike if officers are not able to quickly detain suspects, according to an article in the Journal News. 

Pelham Police Chief Jason Pallett said, “I can’t speak for the Yonkers or White Plains departments, but Pelham has banned the use of chokeholds over a decade ago, so these changes in New York City wouldn’t really concern us.” He said that before this legislation, Pelham did not receive assignments in the city and didn’t expect to do so.

On the other hand, the Pelham Manor Police Department handles various police operations in New York due to several residents who go to Pelham schools and live in the Bronx in the neighborhood known as Bronx Manor. Pelham Manor Police Chief Jeff Carpenter said that the Pelham Manor department will continue to operate as usual, which includes patrolling the Pelham Manor Shopping Plaza and Bronx Manor. 

However, when asked if his department would chase a suspect into the Bronx if they committed a crime in Pelham Manor, Carpenter said, “I cannot reveal the internal operations of our police force out of the safety of our officers.”