New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Dermot Shea apologized on Thursday for the department's use of excessive force and racial bias during the protests in New York that followed the death of George Floyd, reports The Hill.
"I am sorry," Shea said during a press conference on Thursday where a video of police officers using force against protesters was shown. "So for our part in the damage to civility, for our part in racial bias, in excessive force, unacceptable behavior, unacceptable language and many other mistakes, we are human. I am sorry. Are you?”
Shea said the NYPD has apprehended people from other states coming into New York City to commit crimes. For example, he said three officers were injured during a patrol investigating looting in Brooklyn.
The NYPD has dealt with criticism over how it has dealt with some protesters. One video shows an officer pushing a woman to the ground, which caused her to have a concussion and seizures.
“Sometimes even the best, and the NYPD is the goddamn best police department in this country, but sometimes even the best fall down,” Shea said.