Minneapolis
‘Not what we train’: Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testified this week that Derek Chauvin, the former officer on trial for killing George Floyd, violated department policies by kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he lay handcuffed. Arradondo said that while Chauvin’s actions might have been reasonable in the “first few seconds,” he should have stopped when Floyd “stopped resisting.” In an extraordinary appearance that saw a sitting police chief take the stand against one of his own former officers, Arradondo said that what Chauvin did
“in no way, shape, or form is anything that is set by policy, is not part of our training, and is certainly not part of our ethics or values.” Arradondo fired Chauvin and three other officers on May 26—the day after Floyd died—and he said at the time, “This was murder—it wasn’t a lack of training.”
In all, more than a half-dozen of Chauvin’s former colleagues testified against him. Lt. Richard Zimmerman, who heads the department’s homicide division, called his use of force against Floyd “uncalled for,” while retired Sgt. David Pleoger, Chauvin’s supervisor the night Floyd died, said Chauvin should have lifted his knee. A fourth officer, Inspector Katie Blackwell, who previously oversaw the department’s training program, said Chauvin’s use of his knee is “not what we train,” testimony backed by Lt. Johnny Mercil, an instructor. The testimony from trainers strikes at Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson’s contention that his client “did exactly what he had been trained to do.” Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.