Statement from IACP President Steven R. Casstevens on Use-of-Force Incident in Minneapolis

First and foremost, I want to express my heartfelt sympathy to the family of Mr. George Floyd.

Law enforcement officers are trained to treat all individuals, whether they are a complainant, suspect, or defendant, with dignity and respect. This is the bedrock principle behind the concepts of procedural justice and police legitimacy. That is why incidents involving the use-of-force are never the desired outcome in any given situation; moreover, it is the responsibility of police leaders to hold officers accountable for incidents when use-of-force is not aligned with agency policy or appropriate to the given circumstance.

While incidents involving the use-of-force can be disturbing and may raise concern over police operations, we must allow investigating agencies to work to understand what occurred and why, so the appropriate administrative / judicial processes can occur. While videos of incidents may seem convincingly clear, all circumstances must be weighed.

No single incident should define an agency or the profession. As police leaders, we must be willing to question and denounce actions that are wrong so to continue to build trust within our communities. Only by working together in partnership can we build understanding, prevent future incidents, and build safer communities for all.