Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testified against Derek Chauvin’s conduct in court on Monday, arguing his former officer broke protocol in his restraining of George Floyd.
“A community member had contacted me and said that ‘Chief … have you seen the video of your officer choking and killing that man?’ I was able to see the occurrence and see the officers involved. … And I was also able to get a better understanding of the length of time of the incident.”
DEATH AND ‘AUTONOMOUS ZONE’ GRIP GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE AHEAD OF CHAUVIN TRIAL
He added: “[Chauvin’s] action[s were not] de-escalation, and when we talk about the framework of the sanctity of life and principles and values, that action goes contrary to what we’re taught … [and] should be condoned. … Once there was no longer any resistance, and clearly, after, Floyd was no longer responsive and even motionless. To continue to apply that level of force to a person proned out, handcuffed, … that in no way, shape, or form is policy.”
The prosecution spent multiple hours asking Arradondo about the department’s use of force guidelines in an effort to prove Chauvin ignored protocol when he placed his knee on Floyd’s neck. Arrandondo’s testimony implied Floyd could have received a mere citation instead of being handcuffed.
“It is my firm belief that the one singular incident we will be judged forever on will be our use of force,” Arradondo said Monday afternoon. “While it is absolutely imperative that our officers go home at the end of their shift, we want to make sure our community members do too.”
Before his questioning broke for lunch, Arradondo explained how officers in his department are trained on various tactics to avoid harming a suspect.
“The goal is to resolve the situation as safely as possible. So you want to always have de-escalation layered into those actions of using force,” Arradondo said before adding that all officers should strive “to resolve the situation as safely as possible.”
Arradondo hit back against the defense’s argument that bystanders during Floyd’s arrest created a hostile environment for Chauvin.
“With the exception that they cannot obstruct the activity of the officers, but they absolutely have the right, barring that, to record us performing our duties,” he said in response to a question about whether the behavior from those who witnessed Floyd’s death were obstructing arrest.
Arradondo also said that officers are trained to administer Narcan in the cases of opioid overdoses, something Chauvin’s defense says caused Floyd’s death.
He added that the initial 911 call over Floyd allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill was not a felony and didn’t necessitate detention.
Arradondo fired Chauvin last year over the Floyd incident. In a statement given last June, Arradondo said Chauvin’s conduct was unnecessary and called Floyd’s death a “murder.”
“Mr. George Floyd’s tragic death was not due to a lack of training — the training was there,” Arradondo said. “Chauvin knew what he was doing.”
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Chauvin currently faces two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter. Tuesday marked the sixth day of a trial expected to go on for at least four weeks.
