Chauvin verdict just one step toward reform

The verdict rendered Wednesday in the case of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty on three counts of killing George Floyd, was for many not a cause for celebration. The predominant feeling was one of relief. That applies both for people nationwide who protested last summer in the wake of Floyd’s death and for those who take staunchly pro-police stances. To see someone committing such an obviously criminal act on video be held accountable should be gratifying for anyone who supports law and order.

What no one should expect is that this will be the end of the story. Acts of violence committed by members of law enforcement, disproportionately aimed at people of color, will remain a major challenge in this country, something no single verdict will change. And while Minnesota can seem far away, the issues that animated the Chauvin trial are clearly visible in Connecticut, even as recently as this past week.

In one case, there were officers responding to a report of gunfire from a Branford home, where footage showed a suspect firing multiple rounds through an upstairs window and pinning down at least two responding officers. The man inside the home later died of self-inflicted injuries, and though no officers were seriously hurt, it should serve as a reminder of the dangers police can face on any given day, even in supposedly safe suburbs.

But just a short distance away and a few days later, a man was arrested outside a New Haven Walmart on suspicion of shoplifting. Bodycam footage showed an officer pointing his firearm and stun gun at the man after he was chased through the parking lot, and while the officer claimed the man was reaching into his waistband, the suspect was not armed.

These are split-second decisions officers are forced to make, but we should reflect on how close this could have been to Connecticut’s own version of George Floyd. There’s a public focus on de-escalation of potentially deadly situations involving police, but an equal amount needs to go toward not escalating in the first place. Roughly $100 worth of clothes is never worth shooting someone over.

Such incidents can easily turn deadly, as in the case of Mubarak Soulemane, whose car was surrounded in West Haven by local and state police after a pursuit on I-95 early last year. There was no sign Soulemane had a gun, but he was nonetheless shot dead by a state trooper at the scene. He was 19 years old.

Connecticut has seen many incidents that could have, under slightly different circumstances, led to a national outcry and protests similar to what happened after Floyd’s death. We are not different, nor are we immune.

Connecticut passed a police accountability statute last year in the wake of the protests, and it was an important step. It was also politically fraught, and continues to be a source of controversy. Going even further will be a long process.

But it’s necessary. The public needs a better understanding of what police face, as well as more security in the belief that a routine encounter won’t turn deadly. It’s up to everyone to make us all safer.

There’s a public focus on de-escalation of potentially deadly situations involving police, but an equal amount needs to go toward not escalating in the first place.