Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has allegedly been the subject of at least a dozen police conduct complaints during his time on the force, NBC News reported earlier today.
Chauvin is currently at the center of an investigation into George Floyd’s death after a video of Chauvin kneeling on his neck during an arrest went viral on Monday.
The 44-year-old cop was a veteran on the police force, employed for 19 years. He received several awards during his time, and no disciplinary action was ever taken against him for the numerous reports of police misconduct filed against him.
“Chauvin, who joined the Minneapolis Police Academy in October 2001, has had a career that included use-of-force incidents and at least one lawsuit related to an allegation of violations of a prisoner’s federal constitutional rights.”
Upon examining his disciplinary record, it was discovered that the 44-year-old officer was put on paid leave after being involved in the shooting of a suspect. His leave was part of the standard procedure, but it is not evident what happened during the investigation into the incident.
He was placed on leave again in 2011 during another investigation.
Mylan Masson, a retired police officer and a training expert at the Hennepin Technical College, told the outlet that being associated with more than a dozen complaints while being on the force for almost 20 years is “a little bit higher than normal.”
However, Masson also noted that sometimes, the complaints are not valid since anyone can file one against an officer if they feel that an incident was mishandled. Cops who tend to spend more time dealing directly with the public are more likely to receive complaints.
His disciplinary record will likely be further scrutinized if the case surrounding Floyd’s death moves forward into legal proceedings.
The FBI will work alongside Minnesota authorities in an investigation into the white police officer. NBC News stated that his lawyer is a man named Tom Kelly, who declined to comment.
In the viral video clip, Floyd could be heard gasping for air and pleading with the officer to get off of him as he was struggling to breathe.
Chauvin and three other police officers that were present on-scene — J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao, and Thomas Kang — were all fired from the Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Floyd’s sister, Bridgett, wants all four officers to be brought up on murder charges.
“I would like for those officers to be charged with murder. Because that’s exactly what they did. They murdered my brother,” she said during a segment on The Today Show .
Minneapolis police officer at center of George Floyd’s death had history of prior complaints. Derek Chauvin had been with the dept. since 2001. During his career, he was the subject of a dozen police conduct complaints; he was never disciplined: @NBCNews https://t.co/WaGhb0WsnZ
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) May 28, 2020
