The New York Times is blaming police unions for protecting members accused of misconduct and resisting efforts to bring about reform in the wake of …
The New York Times is blaming police unions for protecting members accused of misconduct and resisting efforts to bring about reform in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
In a piece on Sunday, the Timeswrote about police unions:
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who has now been charged with second-degree murder for Floyd’s death, had 17 prior complaints filed against him,16 that were closed without disciplinary action.
The Minneapolis Police Department said privacy regulations regarding revealing details about the prior complaints against Chauvin have been negotiated in police union contracts.
While many other media are focusing as well on the resistance of police unions to bring about reform, the same might be said of any other public sector union.
As the Washington Examiner editorial board noted: “Like other public-sector unions, teachers’ unions, in particular, police unions have become a powerful machine that defends officers against investigation, discipline, and dismissal, even when they deserve it.”
The Minnesota Star-Tribune observed a letter to union members by Bob Kroll, president of the Minneapolis police union, who attempted to defend Chauvin’s act of kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he struggled to breathe:
“What is not being told is the violent criminal history of George Floyd,” Kroll wrote.
