Cincinnati chief on George Floyd’s death: ‘That’s not how we police’

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - CPD Chief Eliot Isaac and FOP President Sgt. Dan Hils issued strong comments Friday on the death of George Floyd and the protests that have ensued.

Floyd died in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck while Floyd was handcuffed and subdued. A widely circulated video shows Floyd pleading he cannot breathe, then grow still, as three other officers ignore bystanders’ shouts to get off him.

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The incident has sparked peaceful and disorderly protests around the country, including in Columbus on Thursday. [Windows smashed, Police deploy tear gas]

Isaac and Hils issued their comments Friday while addressing District 4 second shift officers during their roll call before patrol.

“That’s not how we police,” Isaac said, adding he was “shocked” by the video of Floyd’s death.

“We know that any type of chokehold is not appropriate or necessary."

Hils added: “We will never see anything like that out of the fine men and women of the Cincinnati Police Department.”

“We don’t make excuses," Isaac said. "We know what’s right and what’s wrong, and it’s not about prejudging anyone. Many in our nation are outraged. I think (...) a majority of the law enforcement community is also outraged.”

Hils affirmed his commitment to defending police officers even as others criticize them after the fact.

“I’ll defend you,” he said. "But I will not defend that. I could not find anything defensible about that. It was a criminal act, and I think it is really important for us to stand together and say there is no defense of such actions as that.”

Isaac praised the work of CPD officers for their “heroic actions” during his tenure. He also praised an officer who spoke out recently about the “heroic actions officers take that are uncrecognized.”

Both Isaac and Hils touched on the protests sparked in response to Floyd’s death, calling peaceful protests a protected right.

They both drew a line, though.

“We support peaceful protests, that is a constitutional right,” Isaac said. “But many of these are turning violent. It’s imperative that we stand together, that we keep our nation safe, our city safe and keep each other safe.”

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