SAN FRANCISCO—On Tuesday, June 2, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and San Francisco Board of Supervisor Shamann Walton proposed the “George Floyd Resolution” which entails the prohibition of hiring officers with a history of misconduct. The proposal includes the disqualification of police officer applicants that have resigned from a law enforcement agency with pending investigations for misconduct.
The George Floyd Resolution was proposed as a response to the protests for police reform after the death of George Floyd, 46, by former Minneapolis Police Department Officer, Derek Chauvin, 44. Chauvin used a knee-to-neck restraint on Floyd for a total of 8 minutes and 43 seconds. Floyd’s final words were “I can’t breathe” before becoming unresponsive for 2 minutes and 53 seconds during Chauvin’s restraint.
The press release from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office indicates that the resolution entails the disqualification of police officer applicants with a history of misconduct including “excessive force; racial bias; discrimination based on race, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation.” Applicants with a history of “dishonesty” in the reporting, investigation, or prosecution of a crime or misconduct by another officer will be banned from hiring by the San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department under the George Floyd Resolution.
On Tuesday, June 2, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office tweeted: “Today, Sup. @shamannwalton and I announced the George Floyd Resolution to prohibit SF from hiring police with a known history of serious misconduct. Had a similar policy been in place George Floyd might still be alive today.”
On Wednesday, June 3, Walton added in a tweet: “Common sense step forward. Do not hire people who have a history of excessive force, racial profiling and misconduct! More work to do!”
If the proposal for the George Floyd Resolution is passed, it will be implemented within the next two weeks. While the resolution has the support of 7 of the city’s 11 supervisors, a vote by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has not been scheduled. Co-sponsors of the resolution include Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Aaron Peskin, Matt Haney, Dean Preston, Sandra Lee Fewer, and Norman Yee.
