St. Paul (US) (AP) The former chief of training for the Minneapolis Police Department testified Friday that three former officers accused of violating the rights of George Floyd did not follow policy or their training when he was killed. However, a defense lawyer said that aspects of training were lacking and that new officers are trained in a culture of obedience. Inspector Katie Blackwell said officers are trained that it is their duty to intervene to prevent fellow officers from using undue force. They are also trained on neck restraints, how they should be applied and provided with follow-up care as they can be dangerous. But she said former officer J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao acted in a way that was inconsistent with the department’s policies.
Federal prosecutors say officers failed to save Floyd’s life on May 25, 2020, as fellow officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the black man’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes while Floyd was handcuffed, his Confronted and was gasping for air. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, Lane grabbed hold of his feet and Thao chased the audience back. Officers had answered a 911 call about 46-year-old Floyd, who was trying to use a counterfeit USD 20 bill at a corner store. Bystander cellphone video of the murder triggered worldwide protests and a re-examination of racism and policing. Blackwell testified the other day that officers had a duty to use the least amount of force necessary and that once the person was no longer resisting he or she should stop, then provide any necessary medical assistance as long as possible. That they are trained to provide until the arrival of medical personnel. Make sure we do everything possible to save a person’s life. She also said it is department policy that officers stop using force if a person faints, admitting that at some point Lane stopped grabbing Floyd’s legs and trying to stop another officer. It is their duty to intervene. She said Thao took frequent refresher courses on these policies, most recently in 2018 and 2019, and that Lane and Kueng had repeated lessons on similar issues when they attended the academy in 2019.
Blackwell said he didn’t see anything that could stop Thao and Kueng from attacking Chauvin. And although police body camera video shows that Lane was reprimanded when he asked twice whether they should roll Floyd over to his side, something Blackwell testified was still a duty to intervene.
At cross-examination, Kueng’s lawyer, Thomas Plunkett, said that department policy actually states that an officer is required to restrain or attempt to deter another employee from using undue force, pointing out that Blackwell gave up trying to get out of his earlier testimony. He also said that when officers are trained in use of force scenario, interference is not among them. There is no interference scenario, isn’t that right? Plunkett said.
Absolutely not to interfere, she said. Plunkett agrees to Blackwell that recruits are taught never to argue with an instructor.
During his opening statement, Plunkett mentioned that Chauvin was Kueng’s field training officer, and thus had a great influence on his future. He also said that Chauvin called all the shots as the senior officer at the scene. Kueng, who is black, Lane, who is white, and Thao, who is Hmong American, have been charged with deliberately depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights while acting in the color of law or government authority. One count charges against all three officers that they saw Floyd need medical care and failed to help. A count argues against Thao and Kueng that they did not intervene to stop Chauvin. Both counts allege that the actions of officers resulted in Floyd’s death. Prosecutors have argued that the willful standard may have been met by showing willful misconduct that deprived Floyd of his rights.
Chauvin was convicted of manslaughter and manslaughter in state court last year, and he pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges in December. Lane, Kueng and Thao also faced a separate state trial in June, alleging that they aided and abetted the murder and manslaughter. (AP).
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