Minneapolis Police Chief “burns” Derek Sauvin

Derek Sauvin violated Minneapolis police rules and the code of conduct governing the “sanctity of life” in the fatal arrest of George Floyd last May, testified the city police chief in the trial of the white former police officer for the murder of the African-American.

As he characteristically said, the pressure exerted on Floyd’s throat by Sauvin “violated the rules” in force in the Minneapolis Police Force.

This pressure exerted while the African-American was unconscious is “contrary to our education, and certainly to our morals, to our values,” Medaria Arando told jurors in a Minneapolis court.

Sauvin, who is on trial for a third-degree murder and homicide by Floyd, knelt for almost nine minutes in the neck of the 46-year-old African-American on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, leading to his death. The videotaping of the incident sparked worldwide historic protests against police brutality and racism.

The white police officer has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors called Arando and other police officers as witnesses at the trial to counter Savin’s defense that he did only what he had been trained to do at the age of 19 as a police officer.

Arando, who in 2017 became the first black man to head the city’s police force, fired Sauvin and three other police officers involved in the arrest that led to Floyd’s death.

Last year, in a statement, the Minneapolis police chief spoke about Sauvin and the incident. “This was a murder – it was not a lack of education.”

Today, a prosecutor asked him to explain to jurors how police officers are extensively trained on how to use force and de-escalate tensions.

“We are often the face of the government that our community sees and we will often meet them at their worst,” Arandodo told jurors when asked to describe the meaning of the police badge worn by about 700 city uniformed men. “That must mean something.”

Police carry hemostatic clamps and are trained to use them to treat gunshot wounds. are taught how to massage the breast and given naloxone inhalers that can be used to quickly reverse an opioid overdose., said Arando.

He was asked to read aloud sections of the police station’s code of conduct.

“In fact, it is about treating people with dignity and respect, above all,” he told jurors.

Arando, who joined the department in 1989, also said police officers receive annual training, reminding them of the department’s policies on providing first aid to people in need of medical care.

You may also like