Ten members of a Florida SWAT team have quit the unit, citing the “political climate” in the country.
According to a letter dated on Tuesday, 10 SWAT team members in Hallandale Beach, Florida, quit the unit, claiming they were “minimally equipped, undertrained, and often times restrained,” according to Fox News.
The officers resigned from their positions on SWAT but did not resign from the force entirely.
10 members of Hallandale Beach Police’s SWAT team resign in letter to police chiefhttps://t.co/4OCgiLhhwS
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) June 13, 2020
Police departments across the country have been increasingly scrutinized following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd can be seen in a now-viral video lying on the ground while a white police officer kneels on his neck for almost nine minutes.
Calls to defund and disband police departments have grown louder and have earned support from celebrities and politicians nationwide,
The city council of Minneapolis voted to disband the police department this week in a move that was supported by Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.
“The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform,” Omar tweeted earlier this month. “It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis. Thank you to @MplsWard3 for your leadership on this!”
The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform.
It’s time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis.
Thank you to @MplsWard3 for your leadership on this! https://t.co/AQfHM5M6eR
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 5, 2020
The Los Angeles City Council made a similar move, proposing a bill that will slash up to $150 million from the police department’s budget and reallocate that money to community organizations that speak out against racism.
