DENVER — Officers in the Denver Police Department’s leadership overseeing the response to the 2020 George Floyd protests criticized how officers on the ground were using less-lethal weapons for crowd control and said there was a lack of communication between the command post and officers about tactical strategies.
And they worried the long hours officers were working on the front lines without breaks was increasing the chances of them lashing out against protesters.
This was according to Nick Mitchell, Denver’s former police monitor, in testimony Thursday in the ongoing federal trial over Denver police’s handling of the racial justice protests two years ago in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The federal excessive force lawsuit claims Denver failed to train officers for responding to the protests, leading to what the protesters say were dangerous and indiscriminate use of less-lethal munitions to control crowds. The plaintiffs wrapped up their case Friday afternoon, and defense attorneys for Denver are expected to start presenting their case Monday.
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