On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was brutally murdered by an officer from the Minneapolis

police department after consistently kneeling on the back of his neck for 9 minutes. George tried
to say he could not breathe, but Officer Chauvin would not heed his plea. The horrific incident,
captured on video by bystanders, sparked international outrage and reignited the Black Lives
Matter movement against police brutality and racial injustice. Though this egregious act of police
violence occurred in Minneapolis, analyzing it through the lens of the New York City Police
Department's policies and codes of conduct reveals systemic issues plaguing law enforcement
nationwide. The NYPD's patrol guide prohibits the very actions the Minneapolis officers took,
yet similar transgressions also occur with disturbing frequency in New York. By examining
where the Minneapolis officers violated NYPD protocols, it becomes clear that police
misconduct stems from deeper cultural and accountability problems that exist across the United
States, necessitating urgent and transformative reforms to policing.

Describing the incident

On May 25, 2020, in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, police
arrived at the grocery store following a complaint about forgery. The police officers in this case
were Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. A. Keung, and Tou Thao. Upon arrival, they made
George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, step out of his car and cuffed him, only that he was not
physically resisting.
When the officers started to try and push Floyd into their car, he went rigid and fell to the ground
while still handcuffed (Archbold). Chauvin then put his knee into Floyd's neck and kneeled him
for over 9 minutes while the poor man was lying on the pavement. As a result, traumatic video
evidence uncovers Floyd requesting over and over for air and crying for his late mother (Kane
and White). Floyd passed out a few minutes into the situation, but Chauvin did not remove his
knee until the ambulance arrived. EMS crew couldn't manage to bring Floyd back to life; he was
then later pronounced dead at the hospital (Archbold).
The breaking news of the killing immediately ignited the public to reach a boiling point, with
people nationwide, especially in Minneapolis, expressing their shock and dissatisfaction with
another innocent Black man being killed by police (Cohen). The incidence spread the Black
Lives Matter campaign targeted against police brutality and racism, with many rallies and
marches demanding justice and wide reforms in police service (Kaba). The public demanded the
arrest and charges of Chauvin, who was initially accused of third-degree murder, and the charges
were later upgraded to second-degree unintentional murder (Archbold). The other three officers
were also taken into custody and indicted for aiding and abetting second-degree murder and
manslaughter (Kane And White).
New York City NYPD Code of Ethics.
NYPD's Patrol Guide, considered among the most comprehensive in the country, contains
detailed information about the different phases and procedures of police work (Cohen). The
compendium manual details a wide range of encounters officers may have, including the strictness of
use-of-force rules, responsibilities in intervening, and treatment of prisoners in custody (Kane and
White).
It is mentioned in the Patrol Guide of the NYPD that the use of chokeholds is unlawful and needs
to be dealt with only when needed to protect against unlawful behaviors as well as to keep the
individuals and the public safe (Cohen). It requires that the level of force be objectively reasonable, and
then it must be listed from a continuum of lowest to the highest force options. To begin with, the
prolonged choke hold on Floyd, which was brutal, did not meet these standards. Hence, the manual
asserts that officers shall intervene and request more assistance to stop another member from applying
unmerited force (Kaba).
The NYPD's regulations also set the society strict standards for treating people in custody. The
Patrol Guide stipulates that officers must "display courtesy, professionalism and respect" and that the
use of force should exceed only the minimum required to bring a possibly belligerent individual into
compliance (Cohen). Furthermore, it necessitates compliance with the provision that "members provide
the required assistance as soon as possible for persons who may need it" (Archbold). They not only
ignored Floyd's repeated pleas but also did nothing to save his life. The officers put their policies
regarding providing adequate care in custody at risk (Kaba).
Analysis of Misconduct
The behavior of the officers who had arrested George Floyd simply confirmed a total disregard
of the policies regulating the New York City Police Department's use of force and officers' conduct
described in the Patrol Guide. Derek Chauvin's kneeling on Floyd's knees for more than 9 minutes
without making a proper attempt to release Floyd from the handcuff, who seemed not to physically
resist control, exceeded any reasoned standard and proportional uses of force (Archbold). The Patrol
Guide expresses flat-out bans against chokeholds and calls for only using force when appropriate to
ensure safety on the scene (Cohen). Such use of force, which eventually led to death, was an obvious
violation of the implementation requirement for such a situation.
Also, the others on the scene - Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. A. Keung - violated the NYPD
policies involving intervention, to help prevent excess force from (Kaba). Nevertheless, not a single
officer responded to Floyd's requests to stop the tactic of excessive restraint, which could have put
Floyd's life in danger. The uneasy sensation of them not following the instruction of first responders to
toss the knife before it fell away from the victim was an unpardonable neglect (Kane and White). The
defendant also violated his police department protocol by not working on the medical aid, which was
the rarest event in custody (Archbold). Although the police officers had broken certain official NYPD rules
and standards, the case has also brought up the systemic problem of police culture and lack of
responsibility for the system. The Minneapolis officers are granted special authority with an obligation to
enforce rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. Still, these criminal charges show the seriousness of the
violation of public trust by the officers (Cohen). While on the scene, the officers seemed to act with a
sense of impunity, either not caring about whether or not their actions went beyond the legal limit of
applying force or having been exposed to a culture that dehumanizes people of color (Kaba). The quick
amendments of the original charges of triple third-degree murder against him and the frequent impunity
in police misconduct were evidence enough (Kane and White).
Preventing Future Misconduct
The brutal murder of George Floyd starkly emphasizes the need for a comprehensive shift
directed to preventing similar events from happening due to which innocent people suffer in the future.
Although revamping the use of force rules is one essential step to have a genuine culture change, one
must take a comprehensive approach that addresses the culture, accountability, and practices that led to
these extreme violations (Kaba). Forceful policies, well-trained officers, proper screening of officers, and
the introduction of independent oversight systems are essential factors to consider.
 The crucial adjustment concerns the guidelines on the applicability of force and their execution.
Like policy revisions in many other jurisdictions, the NYPD Patrol Guide maintains guidelines for restraint
and force methods that can be misapplied erroneously or violently (Cohen). A Force Continuum that has
been re-evaluated should restrict techniques such as prone restraints, chokeholds, and head blows that
pose greater dangers (Archbold). There must be well-defined regulations that prohibit any force while
handcuffs are applied, and the monitoring of protestors is to be undertaken (Kane and White). The
community should be required to prioritize this particular duty to intervene requisites in every police
policy across the country (Kaba). The recent fact that three other Minneapolis officers did not intervene
to stop Chauvin from using excessive force was not an isolated-held approach. More robust calling upon
officers to end the use of force policies is required, specifically guaranteeing that officers prevent
imminent cruelty and protect the intervening officers (Cohen). Real-life scenario-based training
emphasizing these obligations of intervention is essential to developing cultures where interventions are
expected and often taken for granted (Archbold).
Policies alone can hardly put an end to the misconduct in the police in the absence of a thorough
reform of their training programs and screening processes for recruits' training methods at present,
which give place to narrow-minded "us vs. them" beliefs and extreme militarization need to be
completely revised (Kane and White). On the other hand, implementation shifts the training stress to de-
escalating skills, crisis intervention tactics, and the view of policing as a public service built on human life
and meant to protect it (Kaba). The psychological screening process should be revamped to eliminate
candidates with characteristics such as authoritarian traits, biases about race, or other similar signs that
could render them more vulnerable to manifestations of power (Archbold).
Among them, it is the regular updates and training of staff along with the establishment of
powerful civilian oversight and accountability mechanisms run independently from police leadership
(Cohen) that will be commensurately crucial. Far too frequently, police forces create the very "blue code
of silence" cultures that protect them from accountability (Kane and White). Having trustworthy civilian
complaint review boards with severe discipline measures won't be just another asset for the police; it
will also be one of the key strategies for accountability and public recognition (Kaba). These bodies must
have access to all the records, including personnel, disciplinary, and policies, with full control of their
updating and ability to conduct independent investigations concerning misconduct cases. Indefinitely,
the introduction of such stringently independent oversight will be the only structure capable of
implanting true cultural changes and, eventually, the public's trust.
Conclusion
The incident of George Floyd's murder that took place was a horrific tragedy that drew attention
to the deep-seated issues of police misconduct, lack of accountability, and public trust decline in law
enforcement agencies across the United States. While it is essential to revise the policies and training
procedures, the real toughening roots are not the deepest in the case of such abuses. Independent
civilian oversight must be given more power, and officers must undergo better training and more
restrictions on their actions, along with expanding their duty to intervene. These steps are imperative for
restoring the legitimacy and integrity of policing. Without such brawny changes of consequence, the
spiral of maleficence and weakening accountability will linger on, and the public's health and safety and
civil rights will be jeopardized.