Columns

GUEST ROOM | Eight Minutes and 46 Seconds, Plus 400 Years

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It took eight minutes and 46 seconds for Officer Chauvin to murder George Floyd, but it has taken 400 years for America to face brutality by rogue police. This tragic, repulsive murder presents yet another opportunity to address police accountability. Police officers are often not held accountable for their actions, because their departments rarely conduct internal investigations. When they do, in my experience, the nature and scope of the investigation is never publicly disclosed, and almost always results in exoneration.  In most accusations of abuse by police, just as in the April 2019 incident on the Ithaca Commons, the District Attorney never even investigates. As a candidate for Tompkins County District Attorney, here is an outline of how I will address police misconduct:

A Police Misconduct Board will be established within the Office of the District Attorney.