Minneapolis police union president Bob Kroll vowed to defend the four officers involved in George Floyd’s death and referred to Floyd as a violent criminal.
Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis
Minneapolis police union president Bob Kroll
Bob Kroll, the president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, is facing backlash after he referred to George Floyd as a “violent criminal” and vowed to defend the officers involved in his death. In a letter to the organization, Kroll argued that the officers had been “were terminated without due process” and that he would “fight for their jobs.”
Former Minneapolis police chief Janeé Harteau shared the letter on Twitter and called on Kroll to step down as union president. She wrote that Kroll’s stance was “A disgrace to the badge! This is the battle that myself and others have been fighting against. Bob Kroll turn in your badge!”
The officer who was recorded holding his knee on Floyd’s neck was identified as Derek Chauvin. He was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. The other three officers who were there at the scene, who did not intervene as Floyd struggled to breathe, were identified as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng.
This is not the first time Kroll has attracted negative attention in Minneapolis. In 2007, he was named in a federal lawsuit after he was accused of multiple instances of racial discrimination.
Kroll joined the police department in 1989 and was first elected as union president in 2015, the Star-Tribune reports.
Here’s what you need to know:
A disgrace to the badge! This is the battle that myself and others have been fighting against. Bob Kroll turn in your badge! pic.twitter.com/SQmeNIIU3v
Janeé Harteau (@ChiefHarteau) June 1, 2020
In the letter to members of the police union, Kroll began by praising officers on the front lines. He described the protests solely as riots:
I write this on behalf of myself and your Federation board. First of all you have yet to be commended for the outstanding work that you have done this past five days. No one with the exception of us is willing to recognize and acknowledge the extreme bravery you have displayed through this riot. You have my utmost respect. Although I have not been visibly present, I am closely monitoring what is occurring. I commend you for the excellent police work you are doing in keeping your coworkers and others safe during what everyone except us refuses to call a riot. You’ve turned the tide of the largest scale riot Minneapolis has ever seen.
Kroll then went even further in condemning the current unrest. He referred to the protests as a “terrorist movement” and argued that police precincts lacked the necessary manpower to manage the situation:
What has been very evident throughout this process is you have lacked support from the top. This terrorist movement that is currently occurring was a long time build up which dates back years. Starting with minimizing the size of our police force and diverting funds to community activities with an anti-police agenda. Our chief requested 400 more officers and was flatly denied any. This is what led to this record-breaking riot.
In 2019, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo advocated for hiring 400 new officers by 2025, which would have nearly doubled the size of the entire force.
