Transcripts For CNNW Inside Politics 20210405 : vimarsana.co

Fentanyl it can cause them to feel very sleepy because of an increased Carbon Dioxide level. Agreed . Correct. And thats one of the reasons ultimately that fentanyl is so dangerous because it suppresses the respiratory system. Agreed . The primary reason it is so dangerous, yeah. Now, you testified that when the paramedics gave their report to you, they did not give you any reference as to potential drug use. Correct . Correct. They did not tell you that they had administered narcan or noloxone during their care, correct . Correct. And during the course of your care to mr. Floyd you did not administer narcan or noloxone, did you . No. And when you talk about those drugs that are immediately able to reverse the effects, thats what that does, narcan reverses the effects of fentanyl toxicity, agreed . Correct. When someone has a high Carbon Dioxide level, that causes that person to have a sensation of shortness of breath. Agreed . Yes. And that can happen to a person even without stress complicating their body. Right . That respiratory, that feeling of an inability to breathe . Yes. Are you familiar with the impact of taking certain narcotics interrectally. Yes. And that ultimately can provide a more powerful or rapid onset of an impact. Right . Yes. Simply because a person has a history of chronic opiate abuse, does that mean that fentanyl cant kill them . No. When someone is hyperventilating, anxious and hyperventilating, theyre actually decreasing their co 2 by doing that. Correct . Correct. Some of the considerations that you have to take also would be the potential occlusion of a coronary artery. Right . Yes. In cases of cardiac arrest, yes. And someone who has frgreate than a 75 occlusion of the right coronary artery, that poses a particular risk of fatal ventricular cardiac arrhythmia, does it not . Objection, your honor, may we approach . Side bar. Side bar conversation here in the trial of officer former officer Derek Chauvin. Medical testimony from the emergency room doctor who treated george floyd when the paramedics brought him to the hospital in hennepin county, minneapolis back in may. The doctor on the stand is the doctor who pronounced him dead. Legal analyst laura coates is with us. The crossexamination just beginning, Cedric Alexander is also with us, im sorry, sir, i didnt know you were there. Laura coates as we go through this crossexamination now, the defense attorney is trying to raise some doubts about why george floyd died, could have been fentanyl in his system. What did you take away from the questioning just there . Well, this is theyre actually trying to mount a better defense than weve seen and be able to do so in the last week, trying to suggest that fentanyl can mimic the same things that george floyd was experiencing, shortness of breathe, the failure of the respiratory system. The e. R. Doctor has been able to say that fentanyl can also lead to asphyxia, drug use can also lead to asphyxia. It can also mimic that feeling of not being able to breathe. Why Social Security to dangerous. And they also got him to talk about. Hes very matter of fact in his presentation, dont get the idea hes having teeth pulled to get the information out. Hes being very forthright and objective in the presentation of evidence, which brings credibility to the jury. You have powerful testimony from somebody, again, no agenda, was the person to declare george floyd dead saying that, yes, fentanyl could be one of the things that mimics the same sort of shortness of breath. Now, whether thats going to be able to blow out of the water what minnesota law requires, which is it doesnt have to be the sole cause of death. It must be a substantial causal factor of death. There can be many. And so that Cedric Alexander is what were watching play out, thats the drama of a trial. The prosecution trying to make the case through this medical testimony and the testimony maybe about to resume. Im going to watch for one second. Lets go back into the courtroom. Only a physician can declare a person dead. Correct . Depends where youre practicing. In the state of minnesota . Yes. A paramedic cant declare a person dead. No, not without consultation with a physician. So just to based on your treatment, again, of mr. Floyd, mr. Floyd, based on these tests that you did had an elevated co 2 level, correct . Yes. And that co 2 level was exceptional, considered to be exceptionally high. Correct . Correct. And you did not, in the course of your consideration, provide noloxone or narcan . No. And it would be is it fair to say that the administration of narcan, if you do not have opiates in your system, it is a safe procedure . Yes. And if you do have opiates in your system, the administration of narcan could be life changing. Life saving. Yes. Not in this case. Prior to the but again, the paramedics also, based on your information, did not administer narcan . Correct. Can i make a clarification . No, theres no question. Im sorry . He can declare on redirect if they wish. You would agree that mr. Floyd arrived at hcmc at approximately 8 53. If we have seen evidence previously. That sounds correct, yeah. I have no further questions, your honor. Mr. Blackwell. Thank you, your honor. For starters, doctor, there was an answer you wanted to clarify. Please do so. Only to state that narcan administering narcan to someone who potentially suffered a fentanyl overdose, once that individual is in cardiac arrest, the administration of narcan would provide no benefit. And mr. Floyd was obviously in cardiac arrest . Correct. You were asked questions just now about whether fentanyl works by causing someone to feel very sleepy. Do you remember that discussion . Yes. Did the paramedics tell you that mr. Floyd was ever asleep, or sleepy, or anything that sounds like sleep . The report that i received that was was that the patient mr. Floyd was unresponsive on th their arrival and did not have a pulse. There was no report that he had been sleepy or difficult to arouse, per se. You asked quite a number of questions about the Carbon Dioxide content in the blood gases. First off, if a person is suffering from hypoxia, that is oxygen deficiency, is that an explanation for a heightened Carbon Dioxide content in the blood . It can be in severe cases. In this case do you find that the Carbon Dioxide reading for mr. Floyd is really all that significant . I felt that it was weak evidence in support of what i was thinking at the time. Whats difficult in cases of cardiac arrest is once someone has been in cardiac arrest for an extended period of time, essentially the blood gas that i obtained could be consistent with cardiac arrest from any number of causes. You expect the ph to be low during cardiac ill provide a little bit of explanation on that. During cardiac arrest theres no blood flow to the tissues, therefore theres no oxygen getting to the tissues, therefore the cells will die. Theyll release Hydrogen Ions which lower the ph, creating an acidic environment that release lactate, which complicates that further. Because the persons heart has stopped from whatever cause, theyll no longer be breathing either. And so you would expect that their co 2 to be high. Again, it can vary a little bit, depending on the cause. But in my estimation the blood gas in this case wasnt very strong evidence for one cause over another as far as the etiology. And it was simply consistent with the fact of cardiac arrest. Correct. The fact that the heart had stopped. Correct, and i felt that the high co 2 may have suggested a respiratory cause. Now, you were asked questions about somebody administering narcotics interrectally. Remember those questions . Yes. Did you get any indication that mr. Floyd had administered narcotics interrectally . I had no information to suggest that. Doctor, thank you. Anything further . No, your honor. Thank you, doctor, you may step down. Your honor, the state calls chie f aradondo. Do you swear or affirm under the penalty of perjury that the testimony youll give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I do. Have a seat. And before you begin, if you could give us your full name, spelling each of your names. Yes, your honor, medaria first name is medaria, last name is arradondo. Sir, what is your current role . My current role is chief of the Minneapolis Police department. How long have you held that position . For approximately three years. And as chief of the Minneapolis Police department are you responsible for overseeing the operations of the entire Minneapolis Police department . Yes, i am. And thats the highest ranking role at the Minneapolis Police department, is that correct . That is correct. Now, sir, id like you to first share a little bit about yourself with us, how old are you . 54 years old. And what city do you live . Twin cities. Where are you from originally . Minneapolis. Where did you go to high school . Minneapolis roosevelt high school. Have you ever lived outside of the twin cities minneapolis area . I went away for college for a couple of years in michigan. Where in michigan did you go. Hancock, michigan. Which school . Which is now called filandia university. Im sorry, your honor, finlandia, university. What is the highest level of education youve obtained . I received my masters degree. What degree did you receive in hancock, michigan . That degree was a criminal justice degree. After you completed your College Studies you returned to the twin cities area . That is correct. And is that when you first joined the Minneapolis Police department . Prior to that i had worked as a Community Service officer at the minneapolis st. Paul airport Police Department. What years did you do that . I believe that was from 1987 to 1989. And then in 1989 did you join the Minneapolis Police department . I did. In what capacity . I started my career as a Minneapolis Police cadet and then was hired as a Minneapolis Police officer that year. And chief, why did you decide to become a Police Officer . Ive been very fortunate to come from a city of very resilient, very welcoming, proud, proud people here in the city of minneapolis. And my dear parents taught all of my siblings and me about the service of love. And so ive been very fortunate to then eventually join the Minneapolis Police department and give back to the very community, the very city that embraced me and has been so good to me. Are you familiar with the motto of the Minneapolis Police department . Yes, i am. What is it . That is to protect with courage and to serve with compassion. And what does that motto mean . We are oftentimes the first face of government that our communities will see, and we will oftentimes meet them at their worst moments. And so the badge that i wear and that members of the Minneapolis Police department wear, it means a lot because the first time that we interact with our Community Members may be the only time that they have an interaction. And so that has to count for something. And so so its very important for us to make sure that were meeting our community in that space, treating them with dignity. Being their guardians. And in representing all of the men and women that came before us who served so proudly on this department. Sometimes you have to protect with courage and you have to use force. Is that correct . At times, yes. As a Police Officer you will have to use force. Sometimes serving with compassion means to understand when force is not required . Objection, leading. Sustained, rephrase. What does it mean to then serve with compassion . To serve with compassion to me means to understand and authentically accept that we see our neighbor as ourselves. We value one another. We see our community as necessary for our existence. And so thats what serving with compassion means to me. Now youve told us a little bit about your educational background. Id like you to share with all of us a little bit more about your specific Law Enforcement training. You mentioned the academy. Is that where you received your Law Enforcementspecific training . Yes, it is. Please describe how that training occurred. I was a member of the first Minneapolis Police Cadet Program, and along with many other candidates we received training both academic training on the laws of the state of minnesota, we received training as it relates to everything from driving and defensive tactics, community relations. And so we also theres post requirements of minnesota post officer standards and training to receive our license. There was a test that we had to take then. There was also scenario based training as well. To grade and assess how we performed during that training in the academy. And so that was part of that important training we received along with the candidates at the academy. That was the very first Minneapolis Police academy . That is correct. And a trainee at the academy is a trainee referred to as a cadet . That is correct. Your employment, youve been continuously employed as a minneapolis in the Minneapolis Police department since, was that 1989 . That is correct, sir. Has the academy changed since you first were a cadet back in 1989 . It has. And while i certainly believe that at the time back in 1989 that training was important, like any Police Department we should not be monolithic. Our communities are not monolithic. Our training should evolve. We should be focused on what our National Best practices, and so the training that our recruits and cadets get today, and rightfully so, is far better than the training that i received those years ago. Well circle back to that a little bit later. You also mentioned that you take post credits. Is that right . Yes, that is correct. And post stands for peace officer standards and training . That is correct. What is the requirement for p. O. S. T. Training, how many courses are you required to take in a given period . Yeah, every sworn peace officer in the state of minnesota receives their license through the p. O. S. T. , or peace officer standards and training board. So p. O. S. T. Will change up what some of those requirements are from time to time, but some of the ones that i think of right now would be crisis intervention training. Theres certainly defensive tactics training. Theres, now, a form of procedural Justice Training that is required. And so Minneapolis Police officers receive that mandated training butt were also very fortunate that were able to receive additional training above and beyond what is required of the p. O. S. T. Board. And you personally participate in this training in order to maintain your p. O. S. T. License . That is correct. Chief, you began your career in 1989. Youre now the chief of the Police Department. Fair to say youve had many roles within that department, is that correct . That is correct. At this time id like to publish exhibit 209 if i may. And well leave that up if we may while you testify. What was the first position you held within the department after you completed your Academy Training . I was sworn in as a Minneapolis Police officer. Now weve heard that term sworn officer before. Can you please explain to the jury what that means . Sworn officer, after you complete the required educational requirements, and certainly after you complete your Performance Measures at the academy, then you are eventually sworn in at a location and traditionally our city clerk has been there and you take an oath. And youre sworn in as an official member of the Minneapolis Police department but also as a city of minneapolis employee and you start your employment with the city then. And what were your duties then as a sworn Police Officer at that rank for the city of minneapolis . Primary duties was to be a 911 responder, to work in a geographical area of the city of minneapolis in a district at a precinct. And respond to 911 calls on a given shift. Are those also called calls for service . That is correct. And as a Patrol Officer at that time well, how long did you remain a Patrol Officer . Approximately five years or so. And can you tell the jury what geographic district you served as a Patrol Officer . Yes, i served for a short time in the third precinct and then i think the bulk of that time in the minneapolis fourth precinct, which is located north of minneapolis. During that time period, that five years as a Patrol Officer did you ever have occasion to arrest a suspect . Yes, i did. How about a noncompliant suspect . Yes. You had to place handcuffs on someone who is not compliant . That is correct, yes. Approximately would you care to guess how many times . Im sure several, im sure several. This is something thats fairly regularly a fairly regular occurrence as a Police Officer, as a Patrol Officer. Is that right . That is correct. Youve had to be in situations where youve had to use force. Is that right . That is correct. Have you also been in situations where youve had to deescalate or talk someone into compliance . Yes. And is that a regular part of your job as a Carbon Dioxide<\/a> level. Agreed . Correct. And thats one of the reasons ultimately that fentanyl is so dangerous because it suppresses the respiratory system. Agreed . The primary reason it is so dangerous, yeah. Now, you testified that when the paramedics gave their report to you, they did not give you any reference as to potential drug use. Correct . Correct. They did not tell you that they had administered narcan or noloxone during their care, correct . Correct. And during the course of your care to mr. Floyd you did not administer narcan or noloxone, did you . No. And when you talk about those drugs that are immediately able to reverse the effects, thats what that does, narcan reverses the effects of fentanyl toxicity, agreed . Correct. When someone has a high Carbon Dioxide<\/a> level, that causes that person to have a sensation of shortness of breath. Agreed . Yes. And that can happen to a person even without stress complicating their body. Right . That respiratory, that feeling of an inability to breathe . Yes. Are you familiar with the impact of taking certain narcotics interrectally. Yes. And that ultimately can provide a more powerful or rapid onset of an impact. Right . Yes. Simply because a person has a history of chronic opiate abuse, does that mean that fentanyl cant kill them . No. When someone is hyperventilating, anxious and hyperventilating, theyre actually decreasing their co 2 by doing that. Correct . Correct. Some of the considerations that you have to take also would be the potential occlusion of a coronary artery. Right . Yes. In cases of cardiac arrest, yes. And someone who has frgreate than a 75 occlusion of the right coronary artery, that poses a particular risk of fatal ventricular cardiac arrhythmia, does it not . Objection, your honor, may we approach . Side bar. Side bar conversation here in the trial of officer former officer Derek Chauvin<\/a>. Medical testimony from the emergency room doctor who treated george floyd when the paramedics brought him to the hospital in hennepin county, minneapolis back in may. The doctor on the stand is the doctor who pronounced him dead. Legal analyst laura coates is with us. The crossexamination just beginning, Cedric Alexander<\/a> is also with us, im sorry, sir, i didnt know you were there. Laura coates as we go through this crossexamination now, the defense attorney is trying to raise some doubts about why george floyd died, could have been fentanyl in his system. What did you take away from the questioning just there . Well, this is theyre actually trying to mount a better defense than weve seen and be able to do so in the last week, trying to suggest that fentanyl can mimic the same things that george floyd was experiencing, shortness of breathe, the failure of the respiratory system. The e. R. Doctor has been able to say that fentanyl can also lead to asphyxia, drug use can also lead to asphyxia. It can also mimic that feeling of not being able to breathe. Why Social Security<\/a> to dangerous. And they also got him to talk about. Hes very matter of fact in his presentation, dont get the idea hes having teeth pulled to get the information out. Hes being very forthright and objective in the presentation of evidence, which brings credibility to the jury. You have powerful testimony from somebody, again, no agenda, was the person to declare george floyd dead saying that, yes, fentanyl could be one of the things that mimics the same sort of shortness of breath. Now, whether thats going to be able to blow out of the water what minnesota law requires, which is it doesnt have to be the sole cause of death. It must be a substantial causal factor of death. There can be many. And so that Cedric Alexander<\/a> is what were watching play out, thats the drama of a trial. The prosecution trying to make the case through this medical testimony and the testimony maybe about to resume. Im going to watch for one second. Lets go back into the courtroom. Only a physician can declare a person dead. Correct . Depends where youre practicing. In the state of minnesota . Yes. A paramedic cant declare a person dead. No, not without consultation with a physician. So just to based on your treatment, again, of mr. Floyd, mr. Floyd, based on these tests that you did had an elevated co 2 level, correct . Yes. And that co 2 level was exceptional, considered to be exceptionally high. Correct . Correct. And you did not, in the course of your consideration, provide noloxone or narcan . No. And it would be is it fair to say that the administration of narcan, if you do not have opiates in your system, it is a safe procedure . Yes. And if you do have opiates in your system, the administration of narcan could be life changing. Life saving. Yes. Not in this case. Prior to the but again, the paramedics also, based on your information, did not administer narcan . Correct. Can i make a clarification . No, theres no question. Im sorry . He can declare on redirect if they wish. You would agree that mr. Floyd arrived at hcmc at approximately 8 53. If we have seen evidence previously. That sounds correct, yeah. I have no further questions, your honor. Mr. Blackwell. Thank you, your honor. For starters, doctor, there was an answer you wanted to clarify. Please do so. Only to state that narcan administering narcan to someone who potentially suffered a fentanyl overdose, once that individual is in cardiac arrest, the administration of narcan would provide no benefit. And mr. Floyd was obviously in cardiac arrest . Correct. You were asked questions just now about whether fentanyl works by causing someone to feel very sleepy. Do you remember that discussion . Yes. Did the paramedics tell you that mr. Floyd was ever asleep, or sleepy, or anything that sounds like sleep . The report that i received that was was that the patient mr. Floyd was unresponsive on th their arrival and did not have a pulse. There was no report that he had been sleepy or difficult to arouse, per se. You asked quite a number of questions about the Carbon Dioxide<\/a> content in the blood gases. First off, if a person is suffering from hypoxia, that is oxygen deficiency, is that an explanation for a heightened Carbon Dioxide<\/a> content in the blood . It can be in severe cases. In this case do you find that the Carbon Dioxide<\/a> reading for mr. Floyd is really all that significant . I felt that it was weak evidence in support of what i was thinking at the time. Whats difficult in cases of cardiac arrest is once someone has been in cardiac arrest for an extended period of time, essentially the blood gas that i obtained could be consistent with cardiac arrest from any number of causes. You expect the ph to be low during cardiac ill provide a little bit of explanation on that. During cardiac arrest theres no blood flow to the tissues, therefore theres no oxygen getting to the tissues, therefore the cells will die. Theyll release Hydrogen Ions<\/a> which lower the ph, creating an acidic environment that release lactate, which complicates that further. Because the persons heart has stopped from whatever cause, theyll no longer be breathing either. And so you would expect that their co 2 to be high. Again, it can vary a little bit, depending on the cause. But in my estimation the blood gas in this case wasnt very strong evidence for one cause over another as far as the etiology. And it was simply consistent with the fact of cardiac arrest. Correct. The fact that the heart had stopped. Correct, and i felt that the high co 2 may have suggested a respiratory cause. Now, you were asked questions about somebody administering narcotics interrectally. Remember those questions . Yes. Did you get any indication that mr. Floyd had administered narcotics interrectally . I had no information to suggest that. Doctor, thank you. Anything further . No, your honor. Thank you, doctor, you may step down. Your honor, the state calls chie f aradondo. Do you swear or affirm under the penalty of perjury that the testimony youll give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I do. Have a seat. And before you begin, if you could give us your full name, spelling each of your names. Yes, your honor, medaria first name is medaria, last name is arradondo. Sir, what is your current role . My current role is chief of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department. How long have you held that position . For approximately three years. And as chief of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department are you responsible for overseeing the operations of the entire Minneapolis Police<\/a> department . Yes, i am. And thats the highest ranking role at the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department, is that correct . That is correct. Now, sir, id like you to first share a little bit about yourself with us, how old are you . 54 years old. And what city do you live . Twin cities. Where are you from originally . Minneapolis. Where did you go to high school . Minneapolis roosevelt high school. Have you ever lived outside of the twin cities minneapolis area . I went away for college for a couple of years in michigan. Where in michigan did you go. Hancock, michigan. Which school . Which is now called filandia university. Im sorry, your honor, finlandia, university. What is the highest level of education youve obtained . I received my masters degree. What degree did you receive in hancock, michigan . That degree was a criminal justice degree. After you completed your College Studies<\/a> you returned to the twin cities area . That is correct. And is that when you first joined the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department . Prior to that i had worked as a Community Service<\/a> officer at the minneapolis st. Paul airport Police Department<\/a>. What years did you do that . I believe that was from 1987 to 1989. And then in 1989 did you join the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department . I did. In what capacity . I started my career as a Minneapolis Police<\/a> cadet and then was hired as a Minneapolis Police<\/a> officer that year. And chief, why did you decide to become a Police Officer<\/a> . Ive been very fortunate to come from a city of very resilient, very welcoming, proud, proud people here in the city of minneapolis. And my dear parents taught all of my siblings and me about the service of love. And so ive been very fortunate to then eventually join the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department and give back to the very community, the very city that embraced me and has been so good to me. Are you familiar with the motto of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department . Yes, i am. What is it . That is to protect with courage and to serve with compassion. And what does that motto mean . We are oftentimes the first face of government that our communities will see, and we will oftentimes meet them at their worst moments. And so the badge that i wear and that members of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department wear, it means a lot because the first time that we interact with our Community Members<\/a> may be the only time that they have an interaction. And so that has to count for something. And so so its very important for us to make sure that were meeting our community in that space, treating them with dignity. Being their guardians. And in representing all of the men and women that came before us who served so proudly on this department. Sometimes you have to protect with courage and you have to use force. Is that correct . At times, yes. As a Police Officer<\/a> you will have to use force. Sometimes serving with compassion means to understand when force is not required . Objection, leading. Sustained, rephrase. What does it mean to then serve with compassion . To serve with compassion to me means to understand and authentically accept that we see our neighbor as ourselves. We value one another. We see our community as necessary for our existence. And so thats what serving with compassion means to me. Now youve told us a little bit about your educational background. Id like you to share with all of us a little bit more about your specific Law Enforcement<\/a> training. You mentioned the academy. Is that where you received your Law Enforcement<\/a>specific training . Yes, it is. Please describe how that training occurred. I was a member of the first Minneapolis Police<\/a> Cadet Program<\/a>, and along with many other candidates we received training both academic training on the laws of the state of minnesota, we received training as it relates to everything from driving and defensive tactics, community relations. And so we also theres post requirements of minnesota post officer standards and training to receive our license. There was a test that we had to take then. There was also scenario based training as well. To grade and assess how we performed during that training in the academy. And so that was part of that important training we received along with the candidates at the academy. That was the very first Minneapolis Police<\/a> academy . That is correct. And a trainee at the academy is a trainee referred to as a cadet . That is correct. Your employment, youve been continuously employed as a minneapolis in the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department since, was that 1989 . That is correct, sir. Has the academy changed since you first were a cadet back in 1989 . It has. And while i certainly believe that at the time back in 1989 that training was important, like any Police Department<\/a> we should not be monolithic. Our communities are not monolithic. Our training should evolve. We should be focused on what our National Best<\/a> practices, and so the training that our recruits and cadets get today, and rightfully so, is far better than the training that i received those years ago. Well circle back to that a little bit later. You also mentioned that you take post credits. Is that right . Yes, that is correct. And post stands for peace officer standards and training . That is correct. What is the requirement for p. O. S. T. Training, how many courses are you required to take in a given period . Yeah, every sworn peace officer in the state of minnesota receives their license through the p. O. S. T. , or peace officer standards and training board. So p. O. S. T. Will change up what some of those requirements are from time to time, but some of the ones that i think of right now would be crisis intervention training. Theres certainly defensive tactics training. Theres, now, a form of procedural Justice Training<\/a> that is required. And so Minneapolis Police<\/a> officers receive that mandated training butt were also very fortunate that were able to receive additional training above and beyond what is required of the p. O. S. T. Board. And you personally participate in this training in order to maintain your p. O. S. T. License . That is correct. Chief, you began your career in 1989. Youre now the chief of the Police Department<\/a>. Fair to say youve had many roles within that department, is that correct . That is correct. At this time id like to publish exhibit 209 if i may. And well leave that up if we may while you testify. What was the first position you held within the department after you completed your Academy Training<\/a> . I was sworn in as a Minneapolis Police<\/a> officer. Now weve heard that term sworn officer before. Can you please explain to the jury what that means . Sworn officer, after you complete the required educational requirements, and certainly after you complete your Performance Measures<\/a> at the academy, then you are eventually sworn in at a location and traditionally our city clerk has been there and you take an oath. And youre sworn in as an official member of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department but also as a city of minneapolis employee and you start your employment with the city then. And what were your duties then as a sworn Police Officer<\/a> at that rank for the city of minneapolis . Primary duties was to be a 911 responder, to work in a geographical area of the city of minneapolis in a district at a precinct. And respond to 911 calls on a given shift. Are those also called calls for service . That is correct. And as a Patrol Officer<\/a> at that time well, how long did you remain a Patrol Officer<\/a> . Approximately five years or so. And can you tell the jury what geographic district you served as a Patrol Officer<\/a> . Yes, i served for a short time in the third precinct and then i think the bulk of that time in the minneapolis fourth precinct, which is located north of minneapolis. During that time period, that five years as a Patrol Officer<\/a> did you ever have occasion to arrest a suspect . Yes, i did. How about a noncompliant suspect . Yes. You had to place handcuffs on someone who is not compliant . That is correct, yes. Approximately would you care to guess how many times . Im sure several, im sure several. This is something thats fairly regularly a fairly regular occurrence as a Police Officer<\/a>, as a Patrol Officer<\/a>. Is that right . That is correct. Youve had to be in situations where youve had to use force. Is that right . That is correct. Have you also been in situations where youve had to deescalate or talk someone into compliance . Yes. And is that a regular part of your job as a Patrol Officer<\/a> . Yes, it is. Even from 1989 to approximately 19 or im sorry, 1994 . Yes. After serving this period of time as a Patrol Officer<\/a> what was your next position at mpd . I believe in 1997 i was then promoted to the rank of sergeant in the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department. What do you have to do to be promoted to the rank of sergeant . What are the requirements . It is a Civil Service<\/a> test that you take, and you have to successfully pass that, and receive a grade for that. And im trying to recall if there was an Assessment Center<\/a> that was also part of that testing process. But there is a number of years that you have to at least have served as a Police Officer<\/a> before you can take the sergeants test and promotion. And what is the role of a sergeant in the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department . Sergeants role, and ive often said it is the most influential role in the Police Department<\/a>. How so . Its most influential because you have the most proximity to the men and women who are out there serving in the community. Youre there for them say roll calls, you are a mentor, you give them guidance. They are going to see you far often than they would ever see the chief of police, for example and you set the tone and the attitude. And so so thats really a very significant role within the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department. Thats a first line supervisory position, correct . Yes, it is. And sergeants are people with that rank within mpd would serve in a variety of jobs or functions, is that correct. That is correct. How did you serve as a sergeant when you were first promoted. I served as an investigator with the property crimes unit at that time. How many people approximately did you supervise . At that time i did not supervise any. I worked as a detective or investigator alongside other detectives. Okay. How long did you hold that position . Approximately two years. And after that . Then i served as a sergeant in our Minneapolis Police<\/a> Department Internal<\/a> affairs unit. Describe what a sergeant in internal affairs does . Sergeant internal affairs is responsible for investigating cases of misconduct involving Minneapolis Police<\/a> department employees. And fact finding, preparing reports, and ultimately submitting those to their supervisor. Can those investigations include inappropriate uses of force . Or Excessive Force<\/a> . Yes, they can. And have you ever evaluated an Excessive Force<\/a> case in internal affairs context . I believe i have, yes. How long did you serve as a sergeant in internal affairs . I served in that position about two years as well. And then what did you do . Then i was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Now, what was required of you to promote to lieutenant . That also required taking a Civil Service<\/a> exam. And i believe certainly at that time an assessment, going through an Assessment Center<\/a>, which comprised of scenarios and different type of Performance Measures<\/a> for that position. Is it true that lieutenant is just a higher level of management above the first line sergeants . Yes, our lieutenants are considered managers within the organization. And what were your duties then as a lieutenant . I served for a time as overseeing the at that time, the federal mediation agreement that the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department had entered into with the Unity Community<\/a> mediation team. And i also served time as a fourth precinct lieutenant on the night shift. And what does lieutenant in the fourth precinct night shift, what do you do . You have a team of sergeants, and a team of officers on a shift. That particular shift work, the night hours in north minneapolis, and really theres lieutenant there to support the mission of the precinct inspector who is kind of like the chief of that precinct, but also then to support your officers on the shift as well, yes. And how long did you hold that position . That was probably about two years as well. Seeing a pattern here. What happened after that . After that i was appointed to the rank of commander. And what does a commander do . Commander now, unlike the previous Civil Service<\/a> positions, a commander now is appointed specifically by the chief of police and it is a higher position. And the commander is usually in charge of a division. And so at that time i was appointed to commander of the internal affairs division. And so youre now back to internal affairs, but more or less overseeing the entire operation . That is correct. And how long did you hold that position . About two years. Okay. And after that . Then i was appointed as the first precinct inspector, and so that was a position in charge of the downtown precinct, or first precinct. And that was a patrol function so that was mainly patrol related functions, even though we do have great civilian teams who work on things such as Crime Prevention<\/a> and others but i was appointed to first precinct inspector. What does the inspector do at that level . The inspector at that level is really driving the work of the precinct, monitoring and working on trying to reduce crime in that precinct, working with its stakeholders, its neighborhood associations, its business community, making sure that whether its investigative or patrol in the precinct, that they have the resources and things that they need, interfacing with the City Council Members<\/a> of that particular ward. And so that is really a lot of the work that a precinct inspector does. And does the precinct inspector then supervise, you know, maybe not at the ground level, but is responsible for the supervision of all of the different positions underneath the inspector . That is correct. All right. And how long were you in that position . About two years. Okay. And after that . Then i was appointed to be deputy chief, chief of staff. And what does the deputy chief do . Deputy chief at that time was a unique role in that i was really chief of staff for the chief of police, a lot of work helping to support our department initiatives, reaching out to elected officials, community stakeholders, boosting up programs, grants that the department had received. And really carrying out the mission of the chief of police. And from there . After about two years i was appointed to assistant chief of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department. And by whom were you appointed . Then it was former chief janae hartell. What did you do as the assistant chief. That was overseeing daytoday operations of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department and also supporting the chief. And for approximately how long . That may have been a little shorter, about a year or so, i think. You had broken the pattern. Yes, yes. And now of course youre the chief of police. Who selected you to be the chief of police . Well, i served in an acting or interim capacity, then under mayor betsy hodges. And then after that term ended, then mayor fry of the city of minneapolis appointed me as chief of police. You may take that exhibit down. So youve had certainly it seems every rank available within the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department in a variety of roles. Is that right . That is correct. As such are you familiar generally with the daytoday operations, i guess from the patrol level all the way up to the level you are now . That is correct. Id like you to do at this time is provide us with a little bit more information, sort of an j overview of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department and how to serve the city of minneapolis, mpds jury diction is within the geographic limits of minneapolis, is that right . Yes. And whats the approximate Geographic Area<\/a> that you have jurisdiction over . Well, to the north we border brooklyn park, brooklyn center. To the south of ridgefield, to our east, just right up against the river st. Paul, and to the west golden valley. And so its a pretty large area. Would you agree thats about 58 square miles, give or take . Yes. And are you aware of the Current Population<\/a> of minneapolis . Roughly about 420,000 or 430,000. How many sworn officers work for the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department . Currently around 700. And as the chief are you generally familiar with the officers who work for you . Thats a lot of people . Its a lot of people. And so it can be taxing to try to weve got a lot of people that work in different areas. But i have a pretty good understanding of where folks are throughout the organization, yes. As we go on ill be asking you if you recognize some of the names of different people we may have met to this point but at this time up until may 26th, 2020 an individual named Derek Chauvin<\/a> was a Minneapolis Police<\/a> officer. Is that right . That is correct. Are you aware of who this person is . I am. Do you recognize this person in the courtroom today . I do. Would you please point to him and describe what hes wearing. Yes, mr. Chauvin is right there. He appears to be wearing a Navy Blue Suit<\/a> with a light blue tie, and white shirt. Thank you. Your honor, may the record reflect the witness has identified the defendant . So ordered. I would like you to please describe for the jury how mpd is structured to deploy Law Enforcement<\/a> services to about 420,000 people over a 58 square mile area, 24 hours a day, every day. Administratively, how is the department organized . Administratively we are broken down into bureaus. And so as i may have mentioned, you have the chief of police that really leads the organization, and its mission and vision and goals. And then we have an assistant chief that oversees the daytoday operations. After that there are three deputy chiefs. And we have a deputy chief of patrol. And the deputy chief of patrol is responsible for the five geographical precincts throughout the city of minneapolis. We also have a deputy chief of professional standards. And that deputy chief oversees really two main functions, and that is our training for our entire department as well as the internal affairs portion of our department. And then we have a deputy chief, the third one, of investigations. So all of the employees who work, whether its homicide unit, robbery, assault, that deputy chief oversees the Investigations Bureau<\/a>. And we also have commanders who oversee these divisions. As i mentioned, theyre above the Civil Service<\/a> rank. Theyre appointed. And they serve in different divisions. And the precincts, as i mentioned, theres five geographical areas, we have five precinct inspectors and they are like the chiefs of police for those precincts. Yes. And so by my count there were three bureaus, you have investigations, patrol, and professional standards. Is that right . That is correct. And the Investigations Bureau<\/a> has a number of individual units within the bureau. Correct . That is correct. For example, what type of units are within investigations . Yeah, Investigations Bureau<\/a> has homicide, assault, robbery, crimes against children, there are several, several different investigative units. So within the Investigative Bureau<\/a> you mentioned homicide, thats where lieutenant zimmerman would work. Is that correct . That is correct. And the Patrol Bureau<\/a>, that provides services such as 911 response, like you did when you were a Patrol Officer<\/a>. Is that right . Thats correct. Crime prevention, traffic control, emergency services, all within the Patrol Bureau<\/a> . Yes. And individuals sorry. And within the Patrol Bureau<\/a>, in order to provide those Patrol Services<\/a> over the Geographic Area<\/a>, weve heard about precincts, is that right . Yes. If we could publish exhibit 259. Looking at exhibits 269, is this the Geographic Area<\/a> of your jurisdiction . Yes, it is. Then can you just use 269 to describe the precincts and what they are and what purpose they serve . Yes. This exhibit outlines the five geographical precincts, and this also lets our Community Know<\/a> which precinct based on where they happen to live, which precinct their residence or business is a part of. And so youre able to see from this map here sector one, or precinct one, kind of in the center there, covers downtown, see the riverside area, the sector excuse me, the number 4 at the top lefthand corner would be our north minneapolis precinct. And then second precinct, number 2, covers southeast northeast minneapolis, and then fifth precinct covers southwest minneapolis, near the lakes area, and then the third precinct covers our southeast minneapolis area. And focusing specifically on the third precinct, i see its divided further into these sectors, is that right . That is correct. And thats for the purposes of being able to deploy Patrol Services<\/a>, correct . Yes. Within the various precincts, this is primarily a tool for dispersing Patrol Officer<\/a>s, correct . Yes. But there are also investigative functions within the precincts as well, correct . Yes. That would be specifically assigned to that precinct . Yes. But professional standards, that would cover all the precincts, is that right . Yes. Okay. If we could publish 268, id like to focus specifically on the third precinct. Its a little hard to see. But you can see the thats much better, thank you. You can see the different colors. It appears the sectors that we looked at in the previous exhibit are listed here. And if you take a look at sector 1, that would be represented as 310 on the exhibit 268. Is that right . Yes. And then sector 2 would be exhibit 320 . Yes. All right. And we wont go through each of the sectors. But the purpose of these sectors, again, is to further distinguish different Geographic Area<\/a>s within the third precinct or any precincts so wed be able to have, say, dispatchers deploy Law Enforcement<\/a> resources there. Is that right . That is correct. Dispatchers like jena scurry, for example, could send a car to a particular location based on the different sectors within this precinct map. Is that right . That is correct, yes. And a professional Standards Bureau<\/a> you can take that down, please. The professional Standards Bureau<\/a>, what does the professional Standards Bureau<\/a> do . One of the functions is training. We have a commander. Again, that is one of the appointed ranks, who oversees the Training Division<\/a>. And theyre responsible for making sure that not only are our officers in compliance with our mandated p. O. S. T. Board educational requirements every year but also really looking to make sure that we continue to evolve and that were staying on to have of necessary training thats important for us that has a benefit to our communities that we serve. And so thats a core piece to what our professional Standards Training Division<\/a> does. And so within professional standards you have the training services, and thats staffed at the i guess its at the commander level, led at the commander level. That is correct. Who is the current commander of the Training Division<\/a> . The current commander for the minneapolis Training Division<\/a> is commander seahorn. Last year who was your commander . Last year, she is now inspector katie blackwell, but commander last year when she led our training. And she would have been the Training Commander<\/a> on may 25, 2020. Is that right . That is correct. Okay. Theres other divisions within professional standards. I think you mentioned internal affairs. But theres also an Administrative Services<\/a> division, is that right . Yes. What does the Administrative Services<\/a> division do . Administrative Services Division<\/a> can deal with everything from grants, different types of programs that the city of minneapolis is embarking upon. Employee, personal matters as well. Business software equipment. Technology, business software. Body cameras, milestone cameras. Yes. And we met jeff rugle, and thats where he works, is that right . Yes, lieutenant rugle is part of that, yes. Id like to talk to you a little bit about Minneapolis Police<\/a> department and reacting to calls for service. The role of the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department is generally to serve the communitys Law Enforcement<\/a> needs, is that right . That is correct. Most requests for service come in through the 911 system. Is that right . Yes. And you respond, or officers respond to different calls for service. Could you please describe the types to have calls for service, Minneapolis Police<\/a> department commonly responds to . Calls for service can absolutely range from everything from tenant trouble to a loud party dispute to Domestic Assault<\/a> to shooting and to even homicide. So it can really range from a wide variety of types of calls. People will call to report a crime, and request assistance, is that right . Yes. People also call to report general emergencies . Yes, they can. What type of emergencies . Medical emergencies. They can request calls for service for that. Often times we have community who are calling because it may be 3 00 in the morning and they dont know of any other service or who will respond. But they will call us for those types of situations as well. And i suppose what constitutes an emergency is in the eye of the caller somewhat . That is correct, yes. But nonetheless mpd responds. Yes. Do you know approximately how many calls for service the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department receives annually. Usually a couple hundred thousand and then we also have officers that we categorize as selfinitiated activity. So that could mean an officer happens to be driving through a neighborhood and sees something, and reports out on their radio that theyre going to look into it. So its a combination. But its a lot of calls. And generally people dont call the Police Department<\/a> to say, hey, everythings going great, just wanted you to know they have something that they want you to do . Exactly, yes. It sounds then like its fair to say theres more to policing than just going out and arresting people, you provide a Broad Spectrum<\/a> of policing services to the community . Yeah, i would actually say that the actual Law Enforcement<\/a> part is probably pretty small compared to most of the types of calls our officers are being called to address and deal with, yeah. So weve touched on Police Training<\/a>, your own personal Police Training<\/a>. And how Police Training<\/a> is dispensed, i guess, through the professional Standards Bureau<\/a>. Id like you to describe that a little bit further. Are you generally familiar with the types of training that the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department provides its officers . Yes, i am. Where does this training take place . We have a large facility located in north minneapolis which we call our special Operations Center<\/a>, and that is where the vast majority of our required training takes place. Is the special Operations Center<\/a> then a dedicated building, only for training purposes . Its primarily dedicated for training purposes, yes. And i think you testified its supervised by a commander. Id like you to tell the jury a little bit about when now currently training begins for Minneapolis Police<\/a> officer whos hired on to the department . For a new officer whos hired on to the department that first initial orientation to our training begins at the academy, and that, again, is overseen by a commander of the training unit, and it we actually have a class currently in place now at the academy, at the sock. And so that first initial indoctrination to our academy occurs during that first part of the training at the academy. Fair to say that the training thats provided to Minneapolis Police<\/a> officers is can be generally divided into two categories, preservice training and postservice training. Is that right . Yes. And the preservice training would include the academy that you just talked about, is that right . That is correct. And then postservice training is the continuing education that you testified about previously, is that right . Yes. So lets again focus on the academy of training, how many cadets do you generally have at a given time per class . Well, we its usually been a mixture of recruit classes and a cadet class. I would say that we average in terms of recruit class numbers around 30. Cadets might be 20 to 25. So now im going to ask you to just define some terms a little, and explain to the jury the difference between a recruit and a cadet. Recruits are typically individuals whove already been focused, laser focused on a career being a Minneapolis Police<\/a> officer is what i wanted to do. They typically have already at least their twoyear criminal justice or Law Enforcement<\/a> degree. Most have completed their required skills training. Cadet was really created to capture diversity of candidates. And so the cadet might have individuals who may have had a psychology degree but its really streamlining them in, a little lengthier process but its really getting them on board so they meet the state requirements, the p. O. S. T. Requirements to be hired. The Cadet Program<\/a> is a wonderful way for us to capture diversity within our Police Department<\/a> and so but they both, once their programs are finished, theyre both classes, whether youre recruit orca cadet, youre rea to become a Minneapolis Police<\/a> officer. Do you also take lateral candidates. Yes, in the past, yes. Do those individuals go through a similar training as a recruit . Yes, the laterals can. Its usually much smaller and length of time just because laterals are individuals who have already served as Police Officer<\/a>s, perhaps in another jurisdiction or another part of the state. Well get a more detailed description from another witness but at a very high level can you describe what the trainees do at the academy during preservice training. Trainees at the academy during preservice, its their first indoctrination into this world of being a Police Officer<\/a> so theyre being taught about city and statutory laws, theyre being trained on procedural justice and critical thinking, defensive tactics. Theyre having Community Members<\/a> come in and speak to them about different aspects, whether it relates to things in our cultures within our city, technology is a huge piece to that, learning how to write reports on our computers, so theyre really getting that basic indoctrination into the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department. As far as the methodology, is it typically classroom delivery . Do you also have Practical Application<\/a> . How does that work . Its a layered approach. Its both the practical academic studying examinations that occur, but its also scenariobased. And so theres scenarios that they will go through and whether thats crisis intervention training or other aspects. So its a layered approach to the training. And preservice training then, once the officer or candidate has completed the preservice training whats the next phase before becoming a fully functioning Police Officer<\/a> . Once they complete that training, theyre making sure, obviously, that theyve met the requirement for the licensure, for the minnesota p. O. S. T. Board and then ultimately theyre going to get sworn in and hired on as Minneapolis Police<\/a> officers. Are you familiar with a program called the Field Training<\/a> program, or fto . Yes, i am. Is that part of the preservice training . That would be, yes. Can you just give us a general description of what the fto or Field Training<\/a> program is . The minneapolis Field Training<\/a> officer program is really once the recruit has gone through that series of preservice training, its now teaming them up with a mentor, basically, and theyre being gauged and judged on certain Performance Measures<\/a>, and it takes course over a period of several months, usually about five months and theyre given instruction, theyre seeing how well they are able to handle certain types of situations, calls, and theyre also having feedback, not only from their fto but theyre also having conversations with the supervisors and the training bureau. And seeing how theyre doing. Theyre assessing their progression in the event a candidate is not progressing, theyre making sure that theres support mechanisms for that. Where do they need extra help . And yes, at times we have candidates that dont successfully complete it and so but thats really getting them to the point where they can ultimately be really on their own and be able to function on their own as a sworn Minneapolis Police<\/a> officer. And so once theyve completed the Field Training<\/a> program, and i think as, you know, per your testimony thus far, the training doesnt stop there, you have p. O. S. T. Requirements that you have to fulfill every year in your p. O. S. T. Service training, is that right . Thats correct. Is that delivered through a series of a inservice trainings that occurred at the same Training Facility<\/a> you mentioned . Yes. Is that training optional . Can an officer go somewhere else to get their p. O. S. T. Credits and skip the in service or is that training required . That training is required annually. Do you have to take it . Yes, i do. What type of training is provided in the p. O. S. T. Service training . Some of the training that is provided in the annual training can be Critical Incident<\/a> training, c. I. T. Training. C. I. T. Is crisis intervention training. Crisis intervention training, thank you, defensive tactics, basic cpr, those are some of the types of training that is required annually, yeah. Even though theyve already ostensibly been trained on all of these things before, youre still doing the same training annually . That is correct. Why is that . A lot of that is just to reemphasize the importance of the training itself, muscle memory, because all of our Department Members<\/a> are being taught the same thing. We may have officers that are working in patrol capacity one year, and the next year they may be in investigations. But they may be called to assist upon. Its making sure that all of us have that basic, necessary core fundamental training to better help serve our communities. So if you could give the jury an idea of the amount of time that is spent training your officers. Its a lot. We put a lot of time, energy and resources into our training. Last year the Minneapolis Police<\/a> department, in terms of our mandatory inservice training and leadership training, we probably spent about 8. 5 million in our preservice and inservice training that was probably about 4. 5 million. Training is absolutely vitally essential to us as a department. And officers are paid while theyre being trained. Is that correct . Yes, they are. Would it be fair to say that part of the training is departing policies onto the officers so that they know what the policies are and are able to apply them. Yes, its important through training that were reemphasizing not only our policies but really our values as a Police Department<\/a> and what our community expects of us. Its to help our officers and its also to help our communities at the same time. As a former Patrol Officer<\/a> whos used force, put handcuffs on people, i mean, you understand the reality of what policing is like when youre actually on duty, is that right . That is correct. You also testified that youve participated and continue to participate in the training thats been provided by mpd, and has continued to be provided, is that right . Yes, that is correct. Is this training practical","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia801806.us.archive.org\/24\/items\/CNNW_20210405_160000_Inside_Politics\/CNNW_20210405_160000_Inside_Politics.thumbs\/CNNW_20210405_160000_Inside_Politics_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240619T12:35:10+00:00"}