It's been almost two months since the death of George Floyd, and Minneapolis Police Department is still feeling it with a large surge of officers leaving the force, Ronald F. Meuser Jr. a lawyer that represents the officers said nearly 200 of them have filed paperwork to quit the force because of claims of post-traumatic stress.
Morale with Minneapolis Police Department is reportedly at an all-time low. Officers are cutting back on there policing efforts in fear that their actions will get them in trouble with the department.
Around 20% of the department of 850 people could be gone soon. About 65 officers have left the force already and more soon to follow.
According to TheNewYorkTimes
Nearly two months after four of its officers were charged with killing George Floyd, the Minneapolis Police Department is reeling, with police officers leaving the job in large numbers, crime surging and politicians planning a top-to-bottom overhaul of the force.
Veteran officers say that morale within the department is lower than they have ever experienced. Some officers are scaling back their policing efforts, concerned that any contentious interactions on the street could land them in trouble. And many others are calling it quits altogether.
“It’s almost like a nuclear bomb hit the city, and the people who didn’t perish are standing around,” Officer Rich Walker Sr., a 16-year Minneapolis police veteran and union official, said of the mood within the department. “I’m still surprised that we’ve got cops showing up to work, to be honest.”
Many American police departments have faced challenges in retention and recruitment in recent years amid growing criticism of police abuses. But the woes in Minneapolis and elsewhere have only grown since May, when Mr. Floyd was killed after the police detained him.
