WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Law enforcement leaders in South Florida are speaking about the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, which resulted in the arrest of a former Minneapolis officer in connection with the case.
WPTV spoke Friday with Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw about the conversation he is now having with his deputies.
MORE: Delray Beach police chief decries death of George Floyd
“It’s horrific to see, and it’s uncalled for. There’s absolutely no justification for what that officer did and how he did it,” said Bradshaw.
Bradshaw is not mincing words when it comes to the video that showed Floyd being pinned to the ground by an officer’s knee.
“The bottom line is this: when someone is handcuffed or not resisting, there is no reason to apply that method of force for any reason what so ever,” said Bradshaw.
Bradshaw spoke about the impact felt across the nation following Floyd's death.
“What were your emotions?” asked WPTV reporter Sabirah Rayford.
“The first thing, I was upset at the fact that he was doing that, and then I got angry because that one particular incident makes everybody paint the whole profession with the same brush,” said Bradshaw.
“What about the incidents that aren’t caught on camera? This isn’t new,” asked Rayford.
“No, it’s not, and you would hope that no matter what the incident is, there’s still eyewitnesses that will come forward, whether it’s on video camera or not, and be able tell their side of the story. That’s why it’s important for every use of force to be investigated,” said Bradshaw.
“You said you sent the video around to your colleagues to start that conversation. What do your use of force policies look like currently?” asked Rayford.
“They’re up to speed and that’s what I wanted them to do, I wanted them to look at that, and I wanted them to go back and revisit our policies to make sure that everything that was in place was reinforced to make sure that all of our policies reflect what our training does and the fact that, that is never going to be allowed under any circumstances,” said Bradshaw.