I wanted to share some thoughts on the death of George Floyd. As a defense attorney, I deal with a lot of people who have been arrested. Likewise, I read a lot of police reports and look at a lot of video, of arrests as well as other aspects of criminal cases. I know and talk with a lot of police officers, and even more so correctional officers, and respect many of them. I also obviously talk with a lot of criminal defendants and find that many, if not most, suffer from some sort of substance abuse issue and/or mental health issue. Many come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have suffered abuse, sometimes horrific abuse, as children and as adults. When I think of my clients I often think, “There but by the grace of God goes I.”
The death of Floyd George is in my opinion a symptom of a problem that is not just endemic to police, but also other professions, including lawyers, judges, medical professionals, teachers, etc., etc. etc. Even churches can be cursed with this infection. That problem is what I call covering your sins. From Proverbs 28:13. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
I don’t know, but I would not be surprised in the least if the other police officers who knew Officer Chauvin reacted with essentially, “it was just a matter of time,” or “doesn’t surprise me it was him.” Most police officers, from my experience, try their best to be “good cops.” They have a very difficult job and are put in extremely difficult situations, but most handle things professionally, and some are even incredibly skilled at de-escalating situations. But there are also officers who think they are a law unto themselves and push boundaries, officers who consider their badge a right and not a responsibility. The good cops know who the bad cops are, but too often too many, not only the cops themselves but others in the criminal justice system, give the bad cops a pass, until something like the death of George Floyd happens.
I suspect who the overly aggressive, envelope pushing cops are is usually common knowledge. The good cops know who the bad cops are. Likewise, the good attorneys know who the bad attorneys are, the good doctors the bad doctors; the good teachers the bad ones. And on and on and on. The hard part is encouraging the good to be as motivated to get rid of the bad as the bad are to maintain their positions. Sounds simplistic, I know, but I think in many ways it is just that simplistic. If the good actors don’t have the courage and foresight to weed out the bad actors, the cost is almost always greater down the line. In police work as in other areas.