Fort Collins Police Chief Comments on Death of George Floyd
Fort Collins Police Chief Jeffery Swoboda of the Fort Collins Police has been incredibly outspoken on Facebook in the past few months, gaining a trusted following among the community.
With protests erupting in Minnesota regarding the death of George Floyd and outrage spreading across the U.S., the local chief decided to issue a statement on the incident.
Swoboda started off by saying that "it’s a heartbreaking situation by all accounts, and words can’t begin to capture the depth of pain that people, especially people of color, are experiencing right now."
He goes on to talk about how the Fort Collins Police Services tackle issues of force using four different topics: hiring, training, accountability, and trust. FCPS has a number of systems in place to protect its citizens worried about excessive use of force, including body-worn cameras to "provide additional perspective into situations and an external Citizen Review Board that reviews internal investigations and makes recommendations."
Overall, Swoboda's post aims to create a personal connection with the Fort Collins community in the middle of a difficult time in history, which he ends by saying,
When faced with a world overwhelmed by a pandemic and grief and negative headlines, I remind myself that we can make the most difference in two places: in ourselves and here in our own community.
Read the Chief's full post here, and let us know what you think in the comments below:
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