Police officers across US resign amid protests

Officers are quitting as police departments prepare to enforce new accountability measures

A man holding an American flag helps block traffic on Seventh Avenue during a Black Lives Matter protest against police brutality as part of the larger public response sparked by the recent death of George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed last month while in the custody of the Minneapolis police, in New York. EPA

People march during a Black Lives Matter protest against police brutality as part of the larger public response sparked by the recent death of George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed last month while in the custody of the Minneapolis police, in New York. EPA

People march during a Black Lives Matter protest against police brutality as part of the larger public response sparked by the recent death of George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed last month while in the custody of the Minneapolis police, in New York. EPA

Riot policemen arrest a demonstrator during a protest against police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in Bogota. AFP

Jaylen Cavil, of Des Moines, Iowa, takes a cell phone photo during a Black Lives Matter demonstration outside Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds' office in Des Moines, Iowa. AP Photo

Supporters of Black Lives Matter block Cordova street near a Vancouver Police Department building to protest against racial inequality in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Reuters

A man looks on as a member of Radikal Bomb Shot (RBS) collective, a collective of Senegalese artists, paints a mural depicting key American and African anti-racism activists, in a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement in Dakar. AFP

A protester raises his fists as he films and photographs the crowd and speakers during a Caribbean-led Black Lives Matter rally at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza, in New York. AP Photo

Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, right, speaks during a news conference, in Tampa, Florida. AP Photo

A person takes a knee on a giant "Black Lives Matter" mural painted on Fulton Street on June 15, 2020 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. AFP

A growing number of police officers in the US have resigned from their posts after weeks of widespread unrest.

Protests that have called for racial equality, increased police accountability and sometimes the closure of police departments are now in their third week.

The demonstrations were ignited by the killing of George Floyd on May 25 after Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

After the killing, at least seven Minneapolis police officers resigned from their duties and more than a dozen of Mr Chauvin's fellow officers signed an open letter condemning his behaviour.

"Derek Chauvin failed as a human and stripped George Floyd of his dignity and life. This is not who we are," the Minneapolis officers said.

Officials in Minneapolis said more than half a dozen other officers were about to leave the department.

On Tuesday, the mayor of Richmond, Virigina, confirmed that he had asked for and accepted the resignation of the city’s police chief, saying Virginia’s capital needs “a new approach” to public safety after repeated violent clashes between police and protesters.

“This has been a difficult couple of weeks. The change is because I believe we have to find ways to re-imagine the way we keep the public safe,” Mayor Levar Stoney said.

Similarly, Atlanta's police chief resigned this week after the city became a focal point for protests following the police killing of African-American Rayshard Brooks, 27, on June 12. Hours after the shooting, police chief Erika Shields resigned.

The officer who shot Mr Brooks was fired.

The Atlanta police department also said eight other officers resigned this month.

Meanwhile in South Florida, 10 members of the special weapons and tactics team resigned last week, saying there were safety concerns and that local officials held the unit in “disdain”.

The eight officers and two sergeants resigned from the team, but did not resign from the Hallandale Beach Police Department.

The officers said they were “minimally equipped” and had been “disrespected” by officials who refused to address equipment and training concerns.

“The risk of carrying out our duties in this capacity is no longer acceptable to us and our families,” the officers wrote in a memo dated June 9.

“The anguish and stress of knowing that what we may be lawfully called on to do in today’s political climate combined with the team’s current situation, and several recent local events, leave us in a position that is untenable.”

The officers said they were outraged that a commanding officer recently joined protesters and other officials in kneeling, a gesture that has come to symbolise the fight for racial equality.

In Buffalo, two officers were suspended after they were identified in video that went viral, in which they pushed a protester, 75, to the ground.

In response to the suspensions, at least 57 police officers resigned from the emergency response team.

The team, which manages crowd control, was effectively disbanded after the resignations.

The officers who resigned remain employed by the department and are expected to be reassigned.

The Buffalo police department announced it would now replace its emergency response team with a new “public protection unit".

“We will shift policing in Buffalo away from enforcement and to a restorative model that promotes stronger community bonds, civic engagement and an end to young black men, black people, being caught in a cycle of crime and incarceration by consciously limiting their negative engagement with police,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said.

Police unions in New York and Atlanta said they were dealing with a morale crisis among officers, who are facing criticism like never before.

The New York Police Department is among many across the US suspending officers for actions considered to be unreasonable use of force.

Last week, the NYPD suspended several officers without pay for acting violently toward protesters.

They included one who was facing criminal charges for shoving a woman to the ground.