Police Tactics In George Floyd's Death 'Disgusting': Officials

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and law enforcement officials stood together Saturday in denouncing an act of hatred and racism by a police officer in Minneapolis charged in the murder of George Floyd — whose desperate pleas for help and for his mother as he struggled to breathe have echoed across the nation.

"There is a lot of pain and anguish right now in the African American and black community here in our county and across the country," Bellone said.

Discussing the coronavirus pandemic, Bellone said what's emerged is the "disproportionate" impact on communities of color. Those disparities, he said, are why Suffolk County created hotspot coronavirus testing sites in underserved communities so data could be collected and outreach commenced.

The recent incident in Central Park involving a woman who called the police on a black man and bird enthusiast, and then Floyd's death in Minneapolis, "which has shocked every human being with a conscience," has led to collective grief and outrage, Bellone said.

"Perhaps what was most disturbing about it is was the lack of concern that this officer showed, knowing that he was being videotaped while the killing of George Floyd was happening. There was a complete lack of concern about it and what that suggests is not just an abhorrent act of racism, not a single act — it suggests that this officer felt there was no accountability. What that says is this is structural racism," Bellone said.

That racism exists across Long Island, Bellone believes; he pointed to a comprehensive investigation on ingrained discrimination across the Long Island housing industry done by Newsday in 2019.

Bellone spoke of being inspired by Congressman John Lewis; he took his family to meet the congressman, a leader in the civil rights movement who spoke about being the only surviving speaker from the March on Washington in 1963.

"We have more work to do," Bellone said.

Reflecting on the rioting and looting, and a police station seen burning, Bellone said: "That cannot happen in our country."

He then lauded the Suffolk County Police Department, including Commissioner Geraldine Hart and Chief of Police Stuart Cameron, for their work. Bellone said Americans have the right to protest and deliver their message in a safe way; in recent weeks at protests organized to urge re-opening the economy, Suffolk County law enforcement officers have been onhand to ensure safety and hand out face coverings, he said.

Both Hart and Cameron strongly denounced the actions of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the death of Floyd after his arrest Monday.

Hart said she was "horrified" by Floyd's death and said police take oaths to protect and serve. She said she condemned the "tragic killing" and said Suffolk County Police work "tirelessly" to strengthen ties with the minority community. Suffolk officers, she added, are "held to the highest standard."

After an angry protest in Brooklyn Friday night, Suffolk Police, Hart said, are closely monitoring the situation but do not expect any violent protests locally.

Keeping someone prone with handcuffs can cause positional asphyxia, Cameron says

Cameron has served as a member of the Suffolk County Police Department for more than 35 years and said when a person tries to resist arrest, he has worked to use "words to de-escalate" the situation. "We do train to use force only as a last resort and never to use excessive force," he said.

With respect to putting a knee to an offender's neck, Cameron said he has never done that or see anyone do it during his career. He said he has never been trained to employ such tactics "but apparently, there are some police departments in the United States that do. There are a lot of tactics that other departments use, that we would never," Cameron said.

He would never, Cameron said, put his "knee on someone's neck. There are tremendous inherent risks to keeping someone prone who is in handcuffs. It can cause positional asphyxia."

Offenders in handcuffs are helped to stand or sit as soon as possible, Cameron said, because leaving them prone or handcuffed can cause spinal damage, blood flow to the brain, or damage the airways.

While he said he is not sure what the exact cause of Floyd's death was, to see the tactics used was "disgusting" to watch.

He added that if a SCPD officer saw another use force, that officer is trained to interject.

"George Floyd was handcuffed, in a prone position, and was not a threat," Bellone said.

His hope, the county executive said, is that "out of this pain is going to come progress. Perhaps this is going to spark a broader conversation about what we need to do to make more progress in our country."

Hospitalizations continue to decline

As of Saturday, 39,582 individuals have tested positive for the coronavirus, Bellone said, with an additional 87 testing positive over the past 24 hours. A total of 13,733 have tested positive for antibodies.

Hospitalizations have continued to decline: As of the most recent report, that number was down by 16 to a total of 275 countywide.

The number of patients in ICU decreased by five to 80.

Hospital capacity stands at 3,142, with 1,114 beds available, or 65 percent. The number of ICU beds countywide is reported at 601, with 229 available, or 62 percent.

A total of 27 patients went home over the past 24 hours —and 13 others lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths countywide to 1,892.

Camping reservations a'plenty

Suffolk County residents are ready to camp: When the reservation system opened up again Friday afternoon after having gone down last week, there were a total of 4,739 reservations for a total of 25,608 reservation days. "It just shows the demand that we have and the desire of people to get out and enjoy summer and and that is what we are intending to do, even though we are still grappling with COVID-19," he said.

Even though social distancing, there will still be a summer in Suffolk County, Bellone said, with residents enjoying camping and beaches —as they were Saturday at Cupsogue and Smith Point county parks.

Brakes on bike sharing

The Zagster bike share company, a micro mobility operator, Bellone said, is "unfortunately, due to financial impacts of the pandemic, unable to provide bike share service in Suffolk County anymore."

The bikes and substations are set to be withdrawn in June, a "very unfortunate" development as Suffolk County remains committed to regional mobility goals, he said.

Last summer, Suffolk County partnered with the Bethpage Federal Credit Union to launch Bethpage Ride, Bellone said. A total of 100 bikes and 24 stations were found in Hampton Bays, Southampton Town, Babylon Village and Patchogue Village, he said.

"The great thing is it provides transportation options, affordable alternatives to other modes of travel," Bellone said. "While this is upsetting, there is a silver lining, because we know now that this is something that people want — that they are thrilled to have this amenity in their backyards."

In just a few months, more than 600 people signed up for memberships, reflecting a great demand, Bellone said.

Before the pandemic, the goal was to expand to Riverhead and possibly, Huntington Town.

But while the company is a "casualty of this crisis, we are not deterred," Bellone said, adding that the county is exploring new options.