The lessons of this moment. The testimony by police brass at Derek Chauvins trial is unprecedented

An unprecedented lineup of law enforcement officers -- including the Minneapolis police chief -- took the stand at the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, denouncing him for kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for more than nine minutes.

As rare as it is for police-involved deaths to lead to a criminal trial -- let alone a conviction -- the sight of the top cop and other brass testifying against a former subordinate is even rarer.
Chief Medaria Arradondo on Monday thoroughly rejected Chauvin's actions and use of force during the arrest of Floyd last May as contrary to department policy.

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"Once there was no longer any resistance and clearly, when Mr. Floyd was no longer responsive and even motionless, to continue to apply that level of force to a person proned out, handcuffed behind their back -- that in no way shape or form is anything that is by policy," the police chief told the jury. "It is not part of our training, and it is certainly not part of our ethics or our values."The piercing of the so-called blue wall of silence -- an unwritten code that has long restrained cops from implicating fellow officers accused of misconduct -- in one Minneapolis courtroom has been widely praised following a summer of protest, unrest and a social reckoning with American systemic racism.
"It is unprecedented," Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said. "You have police officers. You have training officers. You have the police chief who is willing to testify in direct opposition to Chauvin's extensive use of force. That does not happen every day."Still, other experts caution that the potentially devastating testimony in a nationally televised trial does not necessarily portend significant change in longstanding systemic problems in US policing -- particularly the way people of color are treated."It's absolutely too soon to say whether we are really entering a new era where police chiefs and others not only refuse to cover up for officers' conduct but actually ... come forward and speak very powerfully and very unequivocally about officer misconduct the way that we're seeing in the Chauvin trial," said Christy Lopez, a Georgetown Law professor and former Justice Department lawyer who investigated police departments.
"We've definitely got some momentum now and that could really build into something permanent but it could end up being a flash in the pan if we don't take advantage of this moment."Chauvin was fired from his position as a Minneapolis police officer soon after a cellphone video went viral of him planting his knee on Floyd's neck. Floyd had been accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. He is heard repeatedly crying out for help. He said he couldn't breathe, and called for his mother. Three other former officers were present.
Chauvin knelt on Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds, according to prosecutors. A renowned pulmonary critical care doctor testified Thursday that Floyd died from a "low level of oxygen" when Chauvin pinned him to the street and restricted his ability to breathe.Less than a year after Floyd's death, Chauvin is the first of the four former officers at the scene on May 25 to go to trial. He faces the more serious charges.
Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, third-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter. Chauvin's defense attorney Eric Nelson has argued that Floyd died of a drug overdose and preexisting health conditions.
Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker testified Friday that Floyd's heart disease and use of fentanyl were contributing factors but not the direct cause of his death.
"In my opinion, the law enforcement subdual, restraint and the neck compression was just more than Mr. Floyd could take by virtue of those heart conditions," he said.
The defense has also argued that Chauvin acted within his police training and employed an appropriate use of force.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, whose office prosecuted the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a 2016 traffic stop, said the number of officers who have testified against Chauvin is indeed unusual.
Jeronimo Yanez, the St. Anthony, Minnesota, police officer, was found not guilty of second-degree manslaughter in 2017 after the police chief, training officers and other colleagues testified in Yanez's defense. "They were trying to help their colleague who was accused of a crime," Choi said.The jury acquitted Yanez despite video footage and testimony from Castile's girlfriend, who witnessed the shooting. Castile's death garnered widespread attention -- and sparked nationwide protests -- after his girlfriend broadcast the shooting's aftermath on Facebook Live.
An audio recording captured Castile telling Yanez he had a gun in the car, and the officer telling Castile not to reach for it. Seconds later, Yanez opened fire. Yanez testified at trial that he feared for his life because Castile put his hand on his firearm, not his wallet or identification papers, and was pulling the gun from his pocket. Prosecutors said Castile's fully loaded gun -- for which he had a permit -- was found in his shorts pocket.
Miriam Krinsky, a former federal prosecutor who led the appeal on the lenient sentencing of one of the officers involved in the 1991 beating of Rodney King, said there is "no such thing as a slam dunk case when it comes to prosecuting police officers ... even with a videotape."
"By human nature people on juries are just inclined to give police officers the benefit of the doubt and in every way, shape or form to individuals who wear a uniform," Krinsky said. "Jurors are inclined to want to trust police because these are people who are in charge with keeping them safe in their homes and in their neighborhoods."