At least seven Minneapolis police officers have resigned over a lack of support from city leaders during protests over the death of George Floyd.
Calls for disbandment and defunding of police departments across the country has left morale at an all-time low prompting an exodus of officers, the Star Tribune reported Saturday.
“Why should I stay?” said Mylan Masson, a retired Minneapolis police officer and use-of-force expert. “They don’t feel appreciated. Everybody hates the police right now. I mean everybody.”
Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite pleading that he couldn’t breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was charged with second-degree murder, and three other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest were charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Protests demanding the defunding of police departments and calling for an end to racial injustice and police brutality sparked across the country and the world. Amid growing calls for reform, the Minneapolis City Council vowed to disband its police department and embark on creating a new public safety system with community input.
City leaders did not provide much information about the officers who left their post from Minneapolis, but officers in exit interviews reportedly cited a lack of support from the department’s leadership. Other officers who sought resignation were talked out of leaving.
Current and former police officers said they were particularly angry about Mayor Jacob Frey’s decision to abandon the 3rd Precinct police station when protesters overtook it and set it on fire.
A police spokesman said the departures would not affect the quality of public safety services. The department currently has about 850 officers, about 40 short of the number authorized for the year.
