Centre County District Attorney called it ‘criminal and inhumane.’ Bellefonte Police Chief Shawn Weaver said he is ‘sickened and angered.’ Patton Township Police Chief Tyler Jolley said it was ‘deplorable’ and ‘reprehensible.’
Those were just a few of the words offered this week by Centre County’s top law enforcement officials in response to the death of George Floyd and the actions of the Minneapolis police officers involved.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after now-former officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while two other officers held Floyd down and another looked on. Chauvin, who is white, has been charged with second degree murder, while the other three have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Floyd was unarmed and was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill.
His death — along with other recent cases such as the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville — has led to protests, and in some cases riots, nationwide against police brutality and racial injustice.
Cantorna, the leaders of each of the county’s five police departments and the sheriffs office have, in recent days, issued statements condemning the Minneapolis officers, acknowledging the loss of trust caused by instances of police brutality against the black community, and pledging a commitment to treat all with fairness and respect.
In his statement, Cantorna opened by referencing a Philipsburg-Osceola student, who earlier this week appeared in an image posted on social media reenacting the Floyd’s murder with the caption ‘I can still breathe. I’m not dead, something is off here.’
Cantorna said the post was ‘baldly offensive, mocking the murder of a fellow human being.’
He added that Centre County’s law enforcement leaders are ‘appalled by the actions and inactions of the officers involved’ in Floyd’s death.
‘What occurred to George Floyd has no place or justification in civilized society and cannot be allowed to stand,’ he said. ‘There is nothing to debate regarding George Floyd’s death. It was criminal and inhumane.’
He said he was sharing statements made by police chiefs over the past week so the individuals responsible for the social media post might understand how law enforcement officials view the issue.
‘There are longstanding issues in our criminal justice system that must change,’ Cantorna said. ‘They are a reflection of the racial divide and inequities in our society that continue to exist and divide us. For my part, I will continue to work so that our legal system treats everyone fairly, regardless of their race, gender, religion or any other identifying characteristics. If our legal system is to function, it must protect the vulnerable, seek justice, and work to address the underlying issues that cause crime. I support the protestors seeking change in how we police and the racial and economic inequities that continue to divide us.’
In State College on Sunday, an emotional, four-hour protest and march was peaceful, with little interaction between protestors and police, whose visible presence was mostly limited to redirecting vehicle traffic and blocking roadways as more than 1,000 people filled the streets.
State College Police Chief John Gardner — whose department has faced scrutiny and criticism from some community members over the past year following the police shooting death of Osaze Osagie, which was ruled to be justified following an investigation by state police — said the actions of the Minneapolis officers were ‘incomprehensible,’ and that ‘the overwhelming majority’ of officers in the United States seek to protect and serve their communities.
‘Those of us who work hard to build trust and understanding within our communities, especially our communities of color, understand how these actions undermine the public faith and trust in the police profession everywhere,’ he said.
In a joint statement, Penn State Police Chief Joseph Milek, Assistant Vice President for Police and Public Safety Charles Nofsinger and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Iris Richardson outlined the steps their department takes to build trusting relationships and support communities. But, they said, ‘As a profession, we must and can do better.’
‘The challenge of changing the culture of policing by placing more emphasis on being guardians, versus warriors, must be a challenge we are willing to embrace within our profession,’ they wrote.
Several police chiefs acknowledged a need for change.
‘We have much work to do in this country. Saying we are sorry is not enough anymore,’ said Bellefonte Police Chief Shawn Weaver. ‘Our good intentions, deeds and training mean nothing if we don’t protect our fellow citizens. I as well as your police department, are committed to treating ALL people with respect, dignity, and fairness.’
‘The Patton Township Police Department is committed to continuing to build trust with all members of our community. We understand that this incident has fractured that trust nationwide, but we are willing to continue working with and listening to our community,’ Patton Township Police Chief Tyler Jolley said.
Full statements from the Centre County Sheriff’s Office and Bellefonte, Ferguson Township, Patton Township, Penn State, Spring Township, and State College police departments are below, as well as statements made on Monday by State College Borough Manager Tom Fountaine and Borough Council President Jesse Barlow. State College Mayor Ron Filippelli and Penn State President Eric Barron issued statements last weekend.
Bellefonte Chief of Police Shawn Weaver
‘You can apologize over and over, but if your actions do not change, the words become meaningless’
Our country finds itself in the midst of social unrest, fueled by a hideous crime against all that I have pledged an oath to protect — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No matter color, gender, creed or anything else that one can identify as, we in law enforcement took the same exact oath. Our oath in its most simple form is to protect those who cannot protect themselves, to preserve peace and to ensure that all are safe from harm.
I am sickened and angered by the police officers responsible for killing George Floyd. The oath that every police officer takes, our dreams to make a difference, our hard work, our training, all were degraded to nothing, as we watched in disbelief the loss of life under the knee of a police officer. To further add insanity to this atrocity, fellow officers stood by and did nothing to save that life.
We have much work to do in this country. Saying we are sorry is not enough anymore. Our good intentions, deeds and training mean nothing if we don’t protect our fellow citizens. I, as well as your police department, are committed to treating ALL people with respect, dignity, and fairness. We have and will continue to build positive relationships with our citizens. We also will begin an attempt to rebuild the public’s trust in law enforcement that has been rightfully severed by the recent deplorable actions of a few.
I can say with absolute certainty that the good police officers of this nation are also sickened. We, too, have seen all that we can endure of these types of actions. Those police officers are the ones that I am proud to be a part of. They do stand alongside the good people of this country who demand that changes are necessary to evolve our society into one in which we ALL are truly considered equal.
Centre County Sheriff Bryan Sampsel
The officers involved in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota have no place in law enforcement. The actions of the officers were in direct conflict with the ethics, values and sworn duty of every law enforcement officer in this country. This kind of behavior has a rippling effect on every law enforcement officer in this country and the trust of the citizens which they serve.
We are to protect and serve the communities in which we serve. The officers involved in this tragedy failed to uphold their oath. While watching the video I was angry and saddened at the officer’s behavior for human life. I know everyone that I spoke with who has watched the video was appalled by the actions of the officers involved in the death of Mr. Floyd. I believe most law enforcement officers take the job they have to serve, protect and give back in some way to the communities they live in to make them better.
The actions of those officers do not represent the ethics, training, policies and practices of the Centre County Sheriff’s Office. Our office will continue to serve the community and work to maintain the trust within the community we live.
Ferguson Township Chief of Police Chris Albright
The criminal conduct of the officers involved in death of George Floyd has no place in law enforcement. The action of the officers was in direct conflict with the values and sworn duty of every law enforcement officer in the United States.
Our basic function is to serve and protect. The officers involved in that tragedy failed to uphold that central tenet. In watching the video of George Floyd’s death, I was sickened by the officer’s behavior. I have communicated with current and retired officers from the department and nearby jurisdictions as well as police chiefs across Pennsylvania. I don’t know a single police officer that wasn’t disgusted and appalled by the actions and inactions of the officers that resulted in the death of Mr. Floyd.
The criminal actions of those officers are not congruent with the ethics, policies, training and practices of the Ferguson Township Police Department and has no place in law enforcement. Our agency will remain true to our mission statement and continue to work cooperatively with the community we serve.
Patton Township Chief of Police Tyler Jolley
Once again, our country is faced with an incident where trust in law enforcement is broken.The unacceptable outcome of this incident was the loss of a human life. The police officers involved in this deplorable act failed to preserve a life they were responsible to protect. It is our duty as law enforcement officers to protect human life. It is reprehensible to watch a video showing police officers engaged in brutality, negligence, and failing to render aid.
Our community deserves the highest level of professionalism from our police officers. The Patton Township Police Department continues to build positive relationships with our community. We strive to treat everyone that we encounter with courtesy, dignity and respect.
Our policy directs our officers to verbally de-escalate incidents prior to using force. If met by resistance, officers shall only use the minimal amount of reasonable and necessary force to affect the arrest.Our officers annually receive training in use of force, bias and cultural diversity. We will continue to ensure that we have the most highly trained and educated officers patrolling the streets of our community.
The Patton Township Police Department is committed to continuing to build trust with all members of our community. We understand that this incident has fractured that trust nationwide, but we are willing to continue working with and listening to our community.
Penn State University Police and Public Safety Assistant Vice President Charlie Noffsinger, Police Chief Joseph Milek
Diversity and Equity and Inclusion Director Iris Richardson
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of George Floyd and all who are struggling with this intolerable event; we share your sadness and outrage. We in the law enforcement profession can and must do everything in our power to do and be better.
Many in our Penn State community have also been impacted by these tragic events, and we are here to support one another in these difficult times.
Building trust with the communities that we’ve sworn to protect and serve is challenging in the best of times and made even more difficult by events we see in the news all too frequently. As a profession, we must and can do better. Our daily interactions with the people in the communities we serve must reflect the commitment made in the law enforcement code of ethics, which says in part:
“As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice.”
Within University Police and Public Safety, we hold ourselves accountable to the ideals found in our code of ethics. Our daily interactions with others in the community have meaning. How we treat those around us, how we interact with individuals, how we carry out our duties and responsibilities matter. The following describes just some of what we are doing to continue to build trusting relationships with our communities:
- Support for community policing activities and programming will continue to be a priority, and will be expanded to incorporate more of our staff into the effort;
- We will continue to invest in conflict resolution, de-escalation, and crisis intervention training to reinforce these skills in support of our staff;
- Our diversity, equity and inclusion director will work with our police chief on developing specific plans for building trust and legitimacy, one of the six pillars found in the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing report; and
- Last fall, we developed and administered a community survey to invite feedback from students and employees regarding campus climate, safety, University Police and our programs and services. The results of that survey, which will be released soon, will help inform our future community policing strategy and programming.
We are proud of the service University Police and Public Safety provides to our communities, and just as importantly, how we do it, but even we can do better, and we work on this daily. Being in service to others is a noble endeavor. The challenge of changing the culture of policing by placing more emphasis on being guardians, versus warriors, must be a challenge we are willing to embrace within our profession.
Spring Township Officer in Charge Ronald Schall
Time and time again our country is faced with our country is faced with incidents involving law enforcement where the public questions law enforcement as a whole. At Spring Township Police, we are fully committed to ensuring that the residents of Spring Township have the utmost confidence in our department. After watching the video widely shared of Mr. Floyd’s death, I was appalled. That type of behavior has no place in law enforcement and will not be tolerated at Spring Township.
The Spring Township Police Department will continue to build our relationship with the community and strive daily to do that. Spring Township will treat any individual with respect, dignity and professionalism no matter what their religion, race, creed or sexual orientation. We have recently implemented body cameras to be as transparent as possible with the citizens we serve.
Officers at Spring Township receive annual training in topics like cultural diversity, implicit bias, crisis intervention and use of force. This ensures that officers have the best and most current training at their disposal in critical situations.
We understand that incidents like the one in Minneapolis will cause major setbacks to the trust of law enforcement, but that will not change our mission to treat everyone with the respect that every human deserves..
State College Chief of Police John Gardner
As Chief of the State College Police Department, I am deeply saddened and troubled by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The actions of those police officers leading to the death of Mr. Floyd are incomprehensible and in no way reflect the training standards of a professional police officer whose sworn oath represents a solemn commitment to protect and serve.
The behavior displayed by these four police officers, whether it be by their actions or their inactions, constitutes an epic failure on their part leading to the ultimate cost; the loss of a life.
Their actions are not indicative of the overwhelming majority of police officers in our country who put on a uniform every day to protect and serve their communities to include the officers of the State College Police Department. The performance of these four officers involved in Mr. Floyd’s death fell gravely short of this mission, for they neither provided protection for Mr. Floyd who was in distress, nor did they serve their community in the process.
While many of us in law enforcement generally refrain from commenting publicly on the actions of officers employed by other agencies, this situation is different and requires a response. While the distance between State College, Pennsylvania and Minneapolis, Minnesota is 980 miles, make no mistake the ripple effects of this tragic incident will be felt by all of us in law enforcement throughout this country. Those of us who work hard to build trust and understanding within our communities, especially our communities of color, understand how these actions undermine the public faith and trust in the police profession everywhere.
The officers of the State College Police Department value the dignity of every individual and will continue to emphasize and embrace the ethnic and cultural diversity of our community.
State College Borough Manager Tom Fountaine
I want to start by echoing the statements that you have made tonight about the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis last week. This tragic event reminds us again that life is very different for persons of color. The systemic racism that exists in this country in unacceptable and we cannot tolerate this or allow it to continue in our country or in our community.
Our values as a community and the Borough of State College reflect our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. In recent years, the Borough and members of our community have worked together to address systemic racism and we still have more work to do here in State College.
In December 2014, after Eric Garner’s death in New York, the Borough and members of our community formed the Community and Campus in Unity (CCU) to improve trust and confidence between people of color and law enforcement. Later, State College and Penn State appointed the Task Force on Policing and Communities of Color. Both the State College Police Department and the Penn Police Department continue to work on the implementation of recommendations from the Task Force.
More recently, State College has taken three actions, specifically the appointment of the Task Force on Mental Health Crisis Services, an independent review of the State College Police Department policies, procedures and training practices, and work on a broader organizational and community basis with the National League of Cities Race Equity and Leadership program to address historic and systemic racism in our community.
All three of these efforts are continuing, but the schedules for all three of these programs have been adversely impacted by COVID-19. The work of the Mental Health Task Force resumed recently in a virtual meeting and will continue its work over the summer. A report with recommendations is expected this fall.
The consultant team from the International Association of Chiefs of Police that are reviewing the SCPD spent a week in State College at the end of January. The team has been reviewing and analyzing the data and information collected. They are currently writing and finalizing the report, including their recommendations. We expect the report within the next 60 days or sooner.
The National League of Cities REAL Team was in State College on January 27 to meet with members of our staff. Follow-up meetings were planned in March and April but were postponed due to COVID-19. Last week, we scheduled a meeting with REAL to adjust the schedule and discuss how this work will be completed with the current limitations caused by the pandemic.
Finally, I want to commend members of our community for the peaceful protest that was held Sunday afternoon. I especially want to recognize the leadership provided by Lily Hasan, a State High student, who organized this protest and for providing this opportunity for members of our community to express their anger, their sorrow and hurt, and their expectations for our community as we work together to address systemic racism. Lily worked closely with Chief of Police John Gardner to make sure that we could provide support and assistance with this protest. I also want to thank the women and men of the State College Police Department for their work in providing safety for those who were demonstrating.
State College Borough Council President Jesse Barlow
Last week was not a good week for this country. We passed a milestone of 100,000 deaths attributed to the coronavirus. As of today, 5567 of these deaths were in Pennsylvania, and seven in Centre County. All of these deaths are tragedies.
Council passed a resolution in April supporting Governor Wolf and Health Secretary Levine’s efforts to combat the spread of the virus in the Commonwealth. State College and Centre County’s cooperation with that effort helped slow the spread of the virus and allowed us to transition to the Green Phase on Friday.
Today is the National Day of Mourning and Lament for the 100,000-plus people who have lost their lives to this pandemic. The US Conference of Mayors has partnered with a number of religious groups, African American, Hispanic, and Native American groups in this effort. I urge everyone in our community to mark the loss this milestone represents.
On another matter, I want to thank students at State College Area High School [Lily Hasan] for organizing the peaceful march yesterday protesting the death of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers. The Mayor has just read a letter on that issue and I agree with its sentiments wholeheartedly. I have watch the video of the encounter. It is eight minutes and 46 seconds of horror.
Not only do I commend the students’ activism, but I am proud of the many members of this community who turned out. I was able to join them for a while and received a mild scold my daughter over my possible COVID-19 exposure.
May this community’s activism on policing and communities of color continue. It is the only way for us to make our society more just, more compassionate, and more respective of black and brown lives, because black and brown lives matter.
