CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Sheriff’s Association is out with a statement which condemns the action of the Minneapolis police officers involved in the arrest that led to George Floyd’s death. The statement was emphatic:
“The West Virginia Sheriff’s Association condemns these unprofessional, immoral, and egregious actions we have seen. We have seen the same video of the death of George Floyd as you. These actions are unacceptable, and we expect those to immediately be held accountable and call for swift and appropriate action by the law enforcement community and the criminal justice system to address violations.” read the release.
Del. Rodney Miller, a past sheriff and executive director of the organization stressed sheriffs are unique in their role in law enforcement since they were put there by the people of a community.
“Those are the folks who live in the communities, live in the counties, and are elected by the people. People put trust in them. The sheriffs are trying to step forward in West Virginia to say the problems we have we need to talk about and develop a solution,” Miller said.
He wanted to foster the conversation before the situation in the Mountain State became out of control as see in other states. So far all protests in West Virginia have been largely peaceful and without destruction and vandalism.
“We’re supposed to fix problems in the community, not ignore them. If we have problems in West Virginia, the sheriff’s are willing to sit down and figure out what we need to do better,” said Miller.
Miller is also a member of the House of Delegates representing Boone County.