Texas grand jury indicts three police officers for allegedly assaulting people during 2020 George Floyd protests
CBSNov 27, 2021
The Facts
On Monday, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent board that reviews complaints made against the New York City Police Department (NYPD), issued a report recommending punishment for dozens of officers found to have used excessive force and violated other conduct policies during the protests that followed the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minnesota.
In 140 instances, peaceful protesters were reportedly hit with batons and pepper spray, against NYPD policy. Accusations that officers refused to identify themselves were also confirmed by the report, which found that more than 600 (43%) misconduct allegations were closed without resolution because officers couldn’t be identified.
The Spin
Left narrative
Despite all the roadblocks the NYPD put up to hinder this investigation, the report is quite expansive and shows how far the department has to go to make sure its officers police peaceful protests in a safe and respectful manner in the future. This might be the tip of the iceberg, as the Board had to postpone the report's release for months while complaints continued to pour in.
Right narrative
Reports like this contribute to the staffing shortage the NYPD and police forces across the country are facing. Police officers have a dangerous job, and need to often react without a moment’s notice, but all they’re rewarded with is reports like this, “defund the police” movements and other anti-cop rhetoric. If Americans want their cities to be policed better, officers should be better supported and given more of the benefit of the doubt.