In the wake of police brutality protests, Gov. Bill Lee Thursday, July 2, announced an effort to reform police techniques, including elimination of choke holds such as the one that killed George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The announcement came just days after state troopers arrested several people who had been protesting on the War Memorial Plaza across the street from the State Capitol.

“Tragic, preventable events across this country force all of us to confront the difference between law enforcement and police brutality,” Lee said during a press conference. “They challenge us as well to examine troubling, inconsistent citizen experiences with law enforcement.”

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Flanked by law enforcement leaders statewide, including Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings, Lee announced a partnership with law enforcement organizations statewide to review and update policies over the next 60 days dealing with use of force and to require officers to intervene if they see another law enforcement officer breaking policy or the law.

Floyd was killed when other officers watched as a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the back of his neck as he was detained on the pavement. Law enforcement officials said Thursday the technique used in Floyd’s death is prohibited already and that chokeholds are not allowed unless an officer’s life is in danger.

Nevertheless, the governor forged ahead with his plan.

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Increased training on de-escalation techniques, intervention into office wrongdoing, working with public assemblies and emphasis on community policing will be part of the effort as well.

In addition, the Peace Officers Standards & Training Commission will make the National Decertification Index easier to access for law enforcement agencies in an effort to keep them from hiring officers who have been decertified because of misconduct.

Representing the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, Rallings said the group fully supports Lee’s recommendations.

Rallings, whose officers removed protesters from the Memphis City Hall construction site this week, said afterward his agency started dealing with turmoil as a result of Ferguson, Missouri, protests in 2015.

“We understand the murder of George Floyd ignited a spark in citizens and the public that we need to recognize, and we’ve tried to allow our citizens to express their right to protest. It’s been some tense nights sometimes, but we’ve definitely worked very, very hard to keep everybody safe,” Rallings said.

Memphis Police arrested several people this week when they refused to leave a Memphis City Hall work site and carted at least one woman from the scene after she cuffed herself to a fence. Rallings said the group was offered an alternative protest site about 50 feet away but refused to go there.

“Then the officers gave them an enormous, long amount of time to vacate or move, and then we delicately as possible took individuals into custody that refused to obey the officers’ commands,” Rallings said.

Tennessee Highway Patrol also arrested several people on the War Memorial Plaza in Nashville this week after they had occupied the area since June 12 protesting police brutality and the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust within the State Capitol and pushing to “defund” police.

The ACLU of Tennessee and Shuttleworth law firm sent the governor a letter Thursday demanding he respect the rights of Tennesseans to “peacefully assemble and protest” and to stop the seizure of their property without cause or due process.

“In this national moment of reckoning over police violence and racial justice, the right to protest is more critical than ever,” said Thomas Castelli, ACLU of Tennessee legal director. “Targeting certain groups of peaceful protesters for arrest and seizing their property without cause or due process sends a dangerous message that in Tennessee, people will be retaliated against for exercising their rights. We urge the governor to take swift action to protect free speech.”

Lee said Thursday his announcement was about developing new policy and that he was not aware of state troopers taking any “inappropriate action” during the arrests.

“When laws are broken, people need to be held accountable for breaking laws,” Lee said.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Dereck Stewart said the people on the War Memorial Plaza were arrested for camping and trespassing on state property, not for protesting. Stewart said the troopers have been charged with respecting the protesters’ constitutional rights.

“We will not tolerate illegal activity,” Stewart said.

The ACLU of Tennessee claims THP officers have arrested and charged protesters with criminal trespass and other “petty” offenses. The group said video footage shows officers have “routinely” taken the protesters’ personal belongings and supplies such as food, water and medicine without a warrant and without showing their property was connected to any violation of law.