Cuba Police Chief on Minneapolis crisis: "we have a fundamental duty"

Note: Wellsville Regional News has reached out to the chiefs of the Alfred, Andover, Cuba and Wellsville police departments as well as Allegany County Sheriff Rick Whitney. We have asked for comment on this national story that has sparked protests across the county. As those comments are received...they will be posted.
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The death of George Floyd, an African-American man, occurred in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, when Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds; 2 minutes and 53 seconds of which occurred after Floyd became unresponsive, according to the criminal complaint filed against Chauvin.
Statement from Cuba Police Chief Dustin Burch:

I’m aware of and following the recent events in Minneapolis. I was shocked by the behavior of the Minneapolis police officers that led to the untimely death of George Floyd. The actions seen in the video do not align with the training or values of the Cuba Police Department, nor with those of the policing profession as a whole, and I consider those actions egregious and inexcusable. I also understand that while this tragedy occurred hundreds of miles away, it still affects us all in a variety of ways.

As police officers, we have a fundamental duty to care for and safeguard everyone and anyone in our custody. That did not occur with this particular incident. A man was deprived of his life, a family was deprived of their loved one, a community was deprived of their faith in the people (law enforcement) who are entrusted to keep them safe and our great profession was deprived of its legitimacy by the incomprehensible and senseless actions of a few. There was no consideration for the value of human life and that is inexcusable. These officers don’t represent the majority of us in law enforcement and must face the consequences for their actions! We are better than this. We must continue to do what's right.

The members of the Cuba Police Department want to assure the citizens of our jurisdiction and the country that we stand with them and we respect their right to voice their concerns, peacefully. We are committed to continuing to partner with all members of our community to ensure that our Town remains a place we can all be proud of.