Wallingford Police Chief ‘Disgusted’ Over Death Of George Floyd

WALLINGFORD, CT — Wallingford Police Chief William J. Wright said he is “personally disgusted” over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis. Floyd’s killing has sparked protests in Connecticut and across the country. The protests in Connecticut have largely been peaceful, garnering praise from Gov. Ned Lamont.

Floyd, who was unarmed and under arrest on suspicion of passing counterfeit money, was filmed May 25 as Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin placed a knee on his neck for nine minutes while ignoring his pleas for air.

Three other Minneapolis officers witnessed Chauvin's actions, but didn’t intervene. All four officers involved in Floyd's death have been fired and Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with Floyd's death.

Wright released the following statement this week regarding Floyd’s death.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers has understandably sparked outrage throughout the United States and the world. The callousness and disregard shown for Mr. Floyd is sickening and leaves everyone, including police officers from our department, shocked, appalled, and infuriated. I’m personally disgusted.

Our own policy on Use of Force opens with the following sentence, “The Wallingford Police Department clearly recognizes and respects the integrity and paramount value of all human life.” It is from this edict that all of our applications of force are born, with the sanctity of human life always at the forefront.

We understand the raw emotion that is present in our country, in our state, and most importantly in our community, and this one act has once again reminded us of how much work still remains to be done. Now, more than ever before, the collective efforts of our department remain as consistent as they have always been, that is to represent to the best of our ability, the best practices in not only the practical application of policing, but more importantly the human side as well.

The men and women of the Wallingford Police Department wear their badge with honor and pride. We all swore to an oath. We remain committed to our community to deliver the best service that we can and collectively we must be willing to listen and discuss the realities of policing and identify meaningful solutions.

It is our honor to be of service to the community.

William J. Wright

Chief of Police