In a word, dishonor

The actions of the Minneapolis police officers involved in the tragic death of George Floyd last week have been met with righteous outrage throughout the country. Police leaders in America have been consistent with their condemnation of the cops' actions.

Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown noted, "What took place in Minneapolis earlier this week is absolutely reprehensible and tarnishes the badge nationwide."

Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore agreed and remarked that this incident "tore at the very fabric of race relations in this country."

And, Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, has been quoted as saying those four police officers " ... failed George Floyd."

Such negative comments come from the realization that the Minneapolis cops brought dishonor not only to George Floyd and the community the officers served but to themselves and others in their profession.

They dishonored their oath of office and the badges they once wore on their chests. By doing so, they have spewed distrust between police and the communities they serve and have made the jobs of every police officer in this country more difficult.

When trust breaks down between the police and communities, we all suffer together. Even rank and file officers understand this.

In a rare combined statement, the police unions representing officers in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose stated, "What we saw on that video was inconsistent and contrary to everything we have been taught, not just as an academy recruit or a police officer, but as human beings."

Law enforcement can and must be better than this. Rebuilding trust between the police and communities will be a challenging and necessary task.

Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy offered a great way to start. He tweeted, "There is no need to see more video. There [is] no need to wait to see how 'it plays out.' There is no need to put a knee on someone's neck for NINE minutes. There IS a need to DO something. If you wear a badge and you don't have an issue with this ... turn it in."

Sounds right to me.

• David Dial is chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Aurora University and former Naperville police chief. He is a member of the Daily Herald's advisory Sounding Board.