The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the resulting protests worldwide are cause for concern in every community, though protests in Fairfield County have been relatively peaceful. The Easton Police Department has been on standby to assist, should officers be needed.
Chief Richard Doyle issued the following statement:
“The members and I of the Easton Police Department were deeply disturbed by the actions of the officers in Minneapolis. The actions by these officers and those officers that stood idly by are viewed as a failure of the morals, ethics, and standards of conduct they swore to uphold. The actions by the officers are inconsistent to a person’s given rights and Constitutional protections.
“Please be assured that I hold our officers to extremely high standards. Below is an excerpt from the Easton Police Department Policy Code of Ethics which guide our officers in the performance of their duties. “
RESPECT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS:
It is the duty of each officer to respect and protect the rights guaranteed to each citizen by the constitution. No person may be deprived of constitutional rights because he/she is suspected of having committed a crime. The task of determining constitutionality of a statute lies with the court of proper jurisdiction. An officer who lawfully acts within the scope of his/her authority does not deprive persons of their civil liberties. He/she may within the scope of his/her authority make reasonable inquires, conduct investigations, and arrest on probable cause. However, when an officer exceeds his/her authority by unreasonable conduct, he/she violates the sanctity of the law which he/she is sworn to uphold.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Floyd family and to the people of our country during these trying times,” Doyle said.
