LAPD and police union outraged by report on Floyd “Valentine”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A report that Los Angeles police officers circulated a photo of George Floyd with the words “You take my breath away” in a Valentine-like format has sparked an internal investigation and drawn strong condemnation from Floyd’s family, the district attorney and the police union.

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Saturday that investigators are trying to determine how the image may have gotten into the workplace and who may have been involved, the Los Angeles Times reported. Moore said the officer who filed the report will be interviewed on Monday.

“Our investigation is designed to confirm the veracity of the allegations while reinforcing our zero-tolerance policy toward anything with racist views,” Moore said.

Floyd, a black man, died last May after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck while Floyd repeatedly said, “I can't breathe.” His death sparked mass protests across the country against racism and police brutality.

Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd's family, said Monday that the family was outraged.

“This is more than just insult and injury – it is injury and death. The kind of callousness and cruelty that lies in a person's soul to do something like this is unfathomable – and indicative of a much larger problem within the culture of the LAPD,” ​​Crump said.

“We demand that all those involved be held accountable for their abhorrent conduct and that the family apologize immediately.”

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon condemned the image and said he would investigate the matter to determine whether any of his cases “may have been marred by biased policing.”

The board of the Los Angeles Police Protective League said in a statement that the union “rejects this abhorrent image” and that any officer who “feels the need to be part of an online group that engages in, promotes and/or celebrates such activities should quickly reconsider their career choice, as they clearly do not have the judgment or temperament to be a member of the police force.”

If the internal investigation confirms that LAPD officers circulated the image, “people will feel my wrath,” the police chief said.

As the Times reported, Moore also confirmed that the agency is investigating two anonymous Instagram accounts allegedly linked to agency employees, including one called “Blue Line Mafia.”