May 29 2020

Piedmont Chief of Police On George Floyd Death

Letter from Piedmont Chief of Police –

The death of George Floyd at the hands of four officers of the Minneapolis Police Department has left me saddened for Floyd’s family, disgusted by the actions and inactions of the involved officers, and compelled to communicate to our community about how your police department is viewing this affront to justice.

In the days that have followed I have had conversations with various staff that have started with, “Have you seen the video of what the Minneapolis police officers did to that man?” In each case the response has been strikingly consistent and made up of revulsion and a feeling of dishonor for how this latest act subverts police community relations in general as well as specific concern for how it may affect some in our own community.

I can tell the community that all of our officers participate in rigorous training on appropriate use of force and we have policies and procedures designed and implemented to prevent the exact kind of horrific event that occurred in Minneapolis and has occurred elsewhere in this country. While training, policies and procedure are important, what is most salient is humanity, sanctity of life, and the duty for an officer to intercede. These are the discussions we are having during our Department briefings. The Piedmont Police Department is taking this horrible event, as we have with past events, to have hard conversations, look inwardly and continue our commitment to the prevention of such acts here.

I value accessibility to the community and even in our current times we have found ways to connect as a community. Should someone have the desire to talk about this most recent tragedy in Minneapolis, or the larger issues it represents, please reach out to me.

Jeremy Bowers
Chief of Police

3 Responses to “Piedmont Chief of Police On George Floyd Death”

  1. Thank you, Chief Bowers.

  2. Thank you, Chief, for your lucid and timely comments. We residents live on a relative island of tranquility, surrounded by oceans of despair, inequality and violence, parts of the larger issues you noted. So we are fortunate. In my long experience, our police have been truly professional, supportive and effective. The men and women are our friends, protectors and, as with many of us, concerned about recent and ongoing events, as well as the factors contributing to them. But sometimes, we need reminding. And you accomplished that. Again, thank you.

  3. Thank you for your community letter and your service to Piedmont.
    I respect and appreciate the police in our town and know that policing is a tough job.
    The deaths of George Floyd and countless others must NEVER be forgotten. And the mishandling of minority men and women by members of the police forces in cities across this country MUST STOP.
    I am sickened by the brutality I’m seeing and saddened by the inequality that contributes to people who work hard not being able to make ends meet. We should all be asking ourselves why is this happening and what can we do about it?
    Again, thank you for your service and the service of Piedmont’s police department.
    Sincerely,
    Jan Zovickian

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