Derek Chauvin is not every cop. After watching days of testimony, from the bystanders to the Minneapolis Chief of Police, what Derek Chauvin did to George Floyd is far beyond the scope of \u201cpolicing\u201d. We may never really understand what Chauvin \u201cmeant\u201d to do. Maybe he was \u201cpunishing\u201d Floyd by \u201cputting him to sleep\u201d, an action that went far wrong. Maybe he really was threatened by a large Black man who refused to cooperate and get in the car. Or maybe he thought that somehow Floyd was on powerful drugs that made him uncontrollable. Whatever Chauvin thought, the video tells the tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In cold blood, with intent or reckless disregard, Derek Chauvin led two other officers in holding a handcuffed Floyd on the ground. And for over nine minutes he kneeled on Floyd\u2019s neck; past the time Floyd stopped struggling, or moving, or talking. He kneeled on his neck until he was dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it wasn\u2019t like the bystanders weren\u2019t trying to take some action. No one physically assaulted the officer as he snuffed Floyd\u2019s life out; but they screamed, and cried, and warned and pleaded with Chauvin to let him breath. What was Chauvin\u2019s answer when it was all over, and Floyd\u2019s lifeless body was gone in the ambulance? When an elderly Black man said Chauvin didn\u2019t have to do this, his answer was, \u201cThat\u2019s one person\u2019s opinion\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The media seems surprised that Chauvin\u2019s supervisors are testifying against him. His sergeant, the most senior Lieutenant on the Force, the Commander in charge of training and the Chief of Police himself have all stated that Chauvin\u2019s action was far beyond the \u201cscope\u201d of policing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But let\u2019s keep in mind that Derek Chauvin represented the Minneapolis Police and the \u201cpeople of Minneapolis\u201d as a nineteen year veteran officer. He earned two medals of valor in his career, and eighteen complaints on his record, two resulting in discipline. The Minneapolis Police Department may be horrified with Chauvin\u2019s action, but they are even more concerned that \u201cone of their own\u201d would do such a thing. How much responsibility do they have for this rogue officer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost every cop is NOT like Derek Chauvin. Most joined the Force to actually help people, to defend the helpless, stop bullying, and take criminals off the streets. They started for the right reasons, and most still do their jobs, and risk their lives, daily. For every Derek Chauvin, there are thousands of Eric Talley\u2019s, the first officer in the door of the King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. He knew his job was to engage the shooter, directing the fire towards himself rather than the \u201ccivilians\u201d in the store. He paid the ultimate price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The police officers that I know are like Talley. They do their job, they take care of people, they believe that they are trying to do \u201cwhat\u2019s right\u201d. And they are, without talking about it, willing to be \u201cthe first one in\u201d at the Kroger\u2019s, or the school, or wherever lives are at risk. It is \u201cpart of the job\u201d, but also the duty they knowingly accepted when they swore to \u201cserve and protect\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a world of \u201cfull transparency\u201d, when every action is likely to be on camera, police officers are constantly under a microscope. And they have a valid point. It seems that few of the \u201cgood things\u201d they do end up on YouTube or going \u201cviral\u201d, but every confrontational interaction does. But because there are the few officers like Chauvin in the world, transparency is needed. And that\u2019s the rub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I live near Columbus, Ohio. In the past few months, two Black men have been killed by Police Officers in questionable circumstances. The facts are not \u201cin\u201d fully in yet on what happened, but there is a real concern. Police Officers absolutely have the right to live to \u201cgo home\u201d after their shift. But so do the civilians that they interact with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the Minneapolis Chief made a strong point on the witness stand. As he said, in many professions you are judged by the wide \u201cbody of your work\u201d through a career. Famous Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes is remembered for legendary speeches and coaching. It\u2019s only a footnote that his career ended when he punched a player from another school in the sidelines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But not in policing. Police Officers are judged by what they did in their last interaction with the public. \u201cGood cop\u201d or \u201cbad cop\u201d, it\u2019s what happens last that is important, not all the good in the past. And that makes doing their job just that much tougher. And the fact the action will be on video, from their own body-camera or civilians with phones, makes it even harder. Every instant judgment call is recorded for posterity, to be analyzed and debated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, as the Minneapolis officers who testified said, Chauvin was not making an instant judgment call. His \u201cinstant\u201d lasted more than nine minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every profession has some who shouldn\u2019t be there. And it\u2019s easy from the outside to say that the police should \u201cpolice\u201d their own. Their problem: unlike other professions, police officers know that they will be in a position where they need \u201cback-up\u201d, need help from their fellow officers perhaps to save their lives. It\u2019s a choice for them: how can we \u201cpolice\u201d our fellow officers, and then call on them for assistance at the critical moment? They have to have each other\u2019s backs, it can mean life and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So they can\u2019t do this job. But it still has to be done. If police cannot police themselves, then someone else must. Because someone needs to take responsibility for Derek Chauvin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"