MESSAGE FROM CHIEF MCELVAIN ON THE DEREK CHAUVIN VERDICT.
This afternoon, the jury in the trial against ex-police officer Derek Chauvin found him guilty on all charges related to the death of George Floyd. As the jury concluded, the actions that occurred during this incident were clearly outside the law, and absolutely did not reflect in any way the oath police officers take to serve and protect their communities.
As the Chief of Police, I want to assure you the Vancouver Police Department remains steadfast in our duty to honorably serve the citizens of Vancouver with compassion, fairness, equity, dignity, professionalism, and accountability.
Specifically, over the past 10 months, we have been working with the Vancouver Community Task Force on Policing to implement changes in our use-of-force policies, practices, training, and data collection, with the goal to better serve the public safety needs of our community in a way that proactively ensures just and equitable policing in our city, particularly for communities who have historically been marginalized. As the Chief of Police, I am committed to improving equity, accountability, transparency, and increasing public trust and confidence between the Vancouver Police Department and the community members we serve.
The death of George Floyd, at the hands of a police officer, highlighted the reason why marginalized communities callout the historical racial inequities so many in our nation have faced and sparked emotions that have been long suppressed. In Vancouver, and across the nation, people have been coming together to have their voices heard. The Vancouver Police Department fully supports people lawfully expressing their First Amendment rights but do not condone violence or criminal activity as part of any of these gatherings. Criminal activities and violence only further fracture relationships in our community at a time when healing is needed.
Only through communities peacefully coming together, and working together, can we achieve the change and solutions that will bring about a future we all desire.
