YARMOUTH- Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson is reflecting on how he and other local officers feel about incidents that have sparked multiple days of protests across the United States.
Frederickson said that he and all other police officers he knows have completely disavowed from Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who has been charged after the death of George Floyd last week.
Frederickson called that abuse of power “the worst thing” he has seen in policing in decades, and police training protocols do not include what was done by Chauvin in a viral video.
“That was brutal. Murder,” Frederickson said.
“It should never have happened, and unfortunately it was done by one of our brothers in blue.”
Chauvin has been charged with third degree murder and second degree manslaughter.
Protests regarding racism and police brutality have developed nationwide in the wake of the death of Floyd and other black citizens.
Frederickson explained that incidents like the death of George Floyd diminish positive relationships based on trust that officers have with the communities they serve. He said that it is up to officers to continue to create positive connections.
“We’ll do our best to move forward, to build up that confidence that the officers that we employ–that we demand the best from–do the best and have no ugly incident like that ever happen again,” he continued.
Being open and honest, as well as being actively involved in positive community efforts, are examples Frederickson provided when explaining relationship building. He said that he feels confident in the abilities of Yarmouth officers to continue to take those steps.
Something is to be learned in each of these instances, Frederickson said, and the need for proper training is constant. He considers physical force as a “last resort” in any situation, and that police training protocols calls for force being used properly.
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