A statement from Police Chief Kimberly Petersen on the tragic death of George Floyd 

“It is with deep sadness I watched the video this week of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.  While I do not claim to know all the details that led to his last moments, I do know what I saw on the video is inconsistent with the purpose and core values of law enforcement.  It appears to me that Mr. Floyd’s death was both careless and senseless.  The actions of the officer kneeling on his neck and the inaction of the officers standing by without intervening are in contrast to everything we stand for as law enforcement officers.  In a moment, a family has lost a loved one; a community is fractured; the excellent work happening every day at more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. is undermined.  Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. Floyd and the entire Minneapolis community.
 
I have received many questions about the Fremont Police Department’s training and policy.  I want the public to know our officers are consistently trained in de-escalation, proper arrest control techniques, and use of force.  Our policy explicitly requires other officers to intercede if they see an officer using unreasonable force.  By coincidence, we have a previously planned training day the on use of force, de-escalation, and Fair and Unbiased Policing scheduled for the week of June 1st.  This incident will be reviewed with all Fremont officers so that we can learn from it.  We will constantly look for ways to improve by critiquing critical incidents, evaluating policies and procedures and above all, continuing to train.  Members of the Fremont Police Department deeply value the sanctity of life and strive to earn the trust of our community each day and I am very proud of our officers’ work.  Dedication, Integrity, Professionalism and Community Partnership are our core values and you should expect nothing less.  It’s important that we have an open dialogue and I will continue to make myself and command team available to our community.”