George Floyd Protests
Bystander footage of the in-custody death of George Floyd led to the firing of four Minneapolis police officers and violent protests in the city and throughout the nation. Derek Chauvin, the officer seen in the video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, was later arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, for which he was found guilty on April 20, 2021.
Police1 coverage of events reviews 12 things every police department’s civil unrest plan needs, the 5 stages of riot prep, why police reform must be evidence-based and why community solidarity matters.
Shortages are especially acute in California, where declining support for the police has been intensified by legislation and regulatory policies
Convictions on the criminal charge of failure to intervene should reverberate in every police agency across the nation
SWAT
Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Department Corporal Peter Hart describes what makes RCSD’s Special Response Team unique
The Portland City Council on Wednesday approved a 6% salary increase for officers who join the Public Order Team in the Portland Police Bureau
The agreement set up a four-tiered response plan, which specifies benchmarks that must be reached before certain policing actions can take place
The overhaul limited NYPD’s ability to use “kettling” tactics and implemented a four-tiered strategy dictating when officers can take enforcement during protests
“When you use violence to advance your agenda, the Department of Justice will make every effort to put you in prison,” U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross said
Officers Jonathan Horlock and Nathaniel Schauwecker were aquitted of several charges in the arrest of two George Floyd protestors
“These announcements will allow police officers, whose lives were upended by the indictments, to return to their services to our community,” said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson
The Philadelphia Police Department cruiser was flipped over and then set on fire during a protest over the death of George Floyd
“The mayor, the city, the city council, and the Minneapolis Police Department collectively agreed to severely limit police response in the barricaded area surrounding plaintiffs’ businesses,” according to the lawsuit
The justices rejected the appeal without issuing any comments or explanation after Chauvin argued his trial was tainted by negative publicity
The move comes after Derek Chauvin’s correspondence with a pathologist who claims that George Floyd’s death was caused by a rare tumor
Minneapolis city council approves location for new PD station 3 years after previous site was burned
“It’s a big victory for our city, but also for the residents of the Third Precinct, who have been calling out for safety,” Mayor Jacob Frey said after the vote
Judge: “Thao’s actions were objectively unreasonable from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, when viewed under the totality of the circumstances”
The settlement calls for de-escalation whenever possible, limits the use of tear gas and ends traffic stops for broken taillights/searches based on the smell of marijuana
Providing LEOs “emotional and psychological support is important to ensure that officer stress and fatigue do not contribute to constitutional violations,” the report said
At least $10M will be paid in the city’s highest per-person settlement in a mass arrest class-action lawsuit
Henry E. Parker had bragged to a co-worker about how he “emptied a whole clip” on officers because his sister had been hit with a rubber bullet
Attorneys have submitted written closing arguments and a judge will rule within 90 days whether Tou Thao aided and abetted manslaughter
The man was also ordered to pay over $30K to the NYPD for the destroyed vehicle
An attorney for Chauvin argued that legal and procedural errors deprived him of a fair trial
J. Alexander Kueng is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights
The retraining and change in tactics are “a direct reflection of lessons learned in 2020,” said Chief Michel Moore
The new policy details de-escalation steps officers must take and “professionalism” they are required to show when dealing with mass protests
PD must abide by a 14-month injunction that requires LEOs to restrict their use of tear gas, less-lethal munitions, pepper spray and long-range acoustic devices
Urooj Rahman asked a judge to spare her prison time and give her a “second chance” to redeem herself for what she called a momentary lapse of judgment
As part of his plea agreement, J. Alexander Kueng admitted he held Floyd down while handcuffed, knowing from his training this could create a substantial risk
In exchange for the pleas, prosecutors agreed to drop arson charges that would have carried a seven-year mandatory minimum prison term
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