PERCENT.
PERCENT. NOW IT ELEVEN POINT SEVEN PERCENT.
THESE ARE THE FACES OF PEOPLE
WHO WOULD DIE BASED
UNHANDCUFFED ACROSS THE COUNTRY
IN THE LAST 10 YEARS AT LEAST
20 OF THEM TOLD OFFICERS THEY
COULD BREATHE.
MORE THAN HALF WERE
.
. IT
. IT ALL
. IT ALL BEGS THE QUESTION WHY AREN'T OFFICERS DOING WHAT
THEY'VE BEEN TOLD TO DO FOR
DECADES NINE MONTHS TO KNOW
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER CHRIS
VANDERVEEN CONTINUES HIS
INVESTIGATION.
PROHN WITH ONE LAWYER'S
EXPLANATION YOU NEED ENPS AND
YOUR SAY OKAY EVERYBODY TAKE A
BREATHER REALLY LOOKING GET
YOUR SPOT IT TOO.
SHOULD YOU WATCH ENOUGH?
WE'RE NOT.
STOP A PATTERN.
HEY, YOU'RE OK.
OK.
ALL RIGHT.
OFFICERS SEEM SURPRISED EACH
TIME.
BONNIE HE'S NOT DOING ANYTHING.
JUSTYNA OH THANK YOU.
IT WAS EMBURY THEN THEY
SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED
CONSIDERING WARNINGS LIKE THESE
WRITTEN INTO MANY POLICE
DEPARTMENT TRAINING MANUALS A
PROHN POSITION CAN MAKE IT MORE
DIFFICULT TO BREATHE AT
THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME
THE ARRESTEES SHOULD BE PLACED
ON THEIR SIDE OR A SEATED
POSITION.
SO WHY ISN'T THAT ALWAYS
HAPPENING?
YOU NEED TO CHANGE THIS CULTURE
AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS WHERE
THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN DO NO
WRONG.
ATTORNEY ISAAC SCHWAGER HAS
SUED POLICE DEPARTMENTS FOR NOT
RECOGNIZING THE POTENTIAL
DANGERS OF PROHN RESTRAINT.
HE SAYS DOZENS OF TIMES WHEN
OFFICERS GET SUED THEY'VE
RELIED ON THE STUDIES AND
TESTIMONY OF ONE DOCTOR IN
PARTICULAR YOU CALL A HIRED GUN
WHO IS A HIRED GUN THAT QUOTE
HIRED GUN.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT IS DR.
GARY VILKE OF SAN DIEGO,
CALIFORNIA.
I AM PAID FOR MY SERVICES SO
I DO GET PAID SOME I'M HIRED AS
A HIRED GUN TO MY MIND.
YOU JUST SAID NOT NECESSARILY.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
WELL, I MEAN IT'S THE TERMS
OF BASICALLLY I GET HIRED FOR
MY EXPERTIZE AND FOR GIVING
OPINIONS.
DR. VILKE STUDIES HAVE
CONCLUDED PROHN RESTRAINT IS
NOT DANGEROUS.
THAT ANSWER IS NO.
THE POSITION ITSELF IS
PHYSIOLOGIC NEUTRAL ACCORDING
TO HIS OWN TESTIMONY.
HE'S PAID A THOUSAND DOLLARS AN
HOUR TO PROVIDE SUCH TESTIMONY.
HE INSISTS HIS STUDIES ARE
SOUND THAT THE HUMAN BODY CAN
TAKE A LOT OF BODIES ON TOP
OF IT AND THAT THESE CASES
REPRESENT A PROBLEM OF OPTICS
BECAUSE MOST OF THESE DEATHS
ARE DUE TO SUDDEN CARDIAC
ARREST.
IT LOOKS A LOT BETTER IT'S A
LOT LESS CONFUSING TO A JURY.
IF THE PERSON HAS A CARDIAC
ARREST WITH NOBODY ON TOP
OF THEM, THEN IF THERE ARE
SEVERAL PEOPLE HOLDING HIM DOWN
AT THAT POINT IT'S JUST ONE BIG
PROBLEM.
SOMETIMES THOSE JURIES DON'T
BUY.
IS IT FAIR TO SAY THE JURY DID
NOT BELIEVE VILKE TESTIMONY?
I THINK THAT MUCH IS OBVIOUS.
SCHWAIGER LAST YEAR SECURED A
FOUR MILLION DOLLAR VERDICT ON
BEHALF OF THE FAMILY A BRANCH
WRATH AN AMOUNT THAT THIS YEAR
WAS WHITTLED DOWN TO TWO
MILLION.
RAUF DIED WHILE HELD PROHN
UNDERNEATH MEMBERS OF THE
ROHNERT PARK, CALIFORNIA POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S WHERE I'M STRUGGLING
HERE.
IS THAT THIS IDEA THAT
THE SCIENCE IS DEFINITIVE, THAT
YOUR WORK IS DEFINITIVE AND YET
YOU LOSE YOUR SIDE LOSES AND
SOMETIMES WHEN THEY LOSE THEY
LOSE BIG.
SO I DON'T CONSIDER MYSELF
I LOST I .
I TRIED TO EDUCATE A JURY ON
THE FACTS, THE DATA,
THE MATERIALS OUT THERE,
THE RESEARCH ABOUT THAT
RESEARCH.
DO YOU THINK SOMETIMES THIS CAN
BE USED AS AN EXCUSE FOR
BEHAVIOR THAT DID LEAD TO SOME
OF THESE DEATHS?
IN MY EXPERIENCE, YES, THAT IS
THE CASE SOMETIME DR. STEVEN
BURD SAYS HE BELIEVES HE KNOWS
WHY PEOPLE TEND TO DIE
UNDERNEATH OFFICERS AND
DISPATCH.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE
SAYS THE RISK OF ASPHYXIATION
IS REAL ALTHOUGH NOT IN THE WAY
YOU MIGHT THINK.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A REALLY
SERIOUS SEVERE, SCARY MEDICAL
TIME WHERE IF WE DON'T DO
THE RIGHT THING THESE PATIENTS
CAN DIE.
HE SAYS LOOK AT THIS AS
THE BODY STRUGGLES TO GET
OXYGEN.
IT PRODUCES LACTIC ACID.
WHEN ACID LEVELS RISE, THE P.H.
LEVEL DROPS.
YES, IT'S WEIRD.
THE BODY LIKES A P.H. LEVEL
OF SEVEN POINT FOUR.
THE MORE YOU WORK STRUGGLE
THE MORE ACID YOU PRODUCE.
NORMALY THE BODY REGULATES THIS
WITH THE HELP OF THE
CARBON DIOXIDE YOU EXHALE.
BUT LET'S SAY SOMETHING LIMITS
CARBON DIOXIDE BUILDS ACID
LEVELS RISE.
P.H. DROPS YOU STRUGGLE EVEN
MORE.
THE SITUATION SPIRALS UNTIL
FINALLY WITH A PAGE LEVEL BELOW
SEVEN.
BREATHING SLOWS AND THE SYSTEM
CRASHES.
EVEN A SMALL DEGREE
OF VENTILATORY IMPAIRMENT
DECREASED ABILITY TO VENTILATE
THE SETTING OF A SEVERE
METABOLIC ACIDOSIS HAS SEVERE
CONSEQUENCES.
HIS SOLUTION SOUNDS A LOT LIKE
THOSE POLICE TRAINING METHODS
AS SOON AS A SUSPECT IS
HANDCUFFED.
GET OFF.
IT'S MY OPINION THAT WOULD SAVE
LIVES.
WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO THAT
PATTERN WE NOTICED WHEN WE
WATCHED ALL OF THOSE VIDEOS AND
I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN
YOU'RE BEING ATTACKED OR YOU
THINK YOU'RE BEING ATTACKED,
YOU FIGHT BACK.
YEAH.
YEAH.
YEAH. YEAH. COME THE DAY BEFORE GEORGE DIED
IN MINNESOTA.
YEAH.
YEAH.
YEAH. YEAH. OK, CHAD BURNETT REMAIN
FACEDOWN, HANDCUFFED AND
MOTIONLESS FOR MORE THAN THREE
MINUTES INSIDE HIS COLORADO
SPRINGS HOME.
WHEN I SAY SOMETHING TO YOU
LIKE MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING
WRONG HERE.
HIS CLOSE FRIEND BRETT
LINDSTROM NOTICED THE PATTERN
AS WELL.
HE HAD GOTTEN QUIET AND YET,
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE HAVING THIS
CONVERSATION WHILE HE'S DYING
IN THE MIDDLE OF A MENTAL
HEALTH CRISIS.
CHAD BURNETT STOPPED BREATHING
HIS DEATH ONE OF MORE THAN 100.
WE FOUND IT SEEMED TO CATCH
OFFICERS OFF GUARD.
JEFF, HERE'S THE THING.
WE ASKED OF DR. VILKE SAYS YES
,ACIDOSIS IN HIS MIND CAN LEAD
TO SOMEONE'S DEATH THROUGH
RESTRAINT.
HE ALSO SAID HIS RESEARCH IS
QUOTE NOT REALLY LOOKED AT
ACIDOSIS AND QUOTE AS AN
EXPLANATION.
BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING TO ONE
RETIRED COP TURNED TRAINER
I SPOKE TO, HE TELLS POLICE
OFFICERS DON'T GET THE MIDDLE
OF THIS PUSH AND PULL WITH
THE SCIENCE.
JUST GET OFF THE SUSPECT AS