A Written Statement:
Prepared by the
National Board of Directors of the
Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association
Our Response to the Tragic Loss of the Public’s Trust in Policing
(Washington, DC) The Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA) denounces and admonishes the four Minneapolis police officers involved in the senseless and tragic murder of George Floyd. The officers acted poorly by not heeding to the pleas made by Mr. Floyd. The officers’ callous, insensitive, and heartless demeanor does NOT represent the values and precepts that the thousands of men and women in law enforcement demonstrate as they carry out their sworn duties. The noted actions of these four officers violated George Floyd’s human rights; this contradicts the police officers’ oath to protect and save human life.
HAPCOA recognizes that when the actions of a few officers are no longer within the realm of acceptable and accredited policing norms, and when the actions of a few, may be alleged as criminal; then it is our sworn duty and responsibility, as command officers, to step forward and appropriately remove (suspend, fire or charge) the offending officers.
HAPCOA accepts that as an association of Hispanic command officers, we must take a profound leadership role when the issue of losing public TRUST invades the diverse communities that we serve and protect. In many cases, the communities that we patrol are where we grew up, where we went to school, and where our extended families may still live and work today.
HAPCOA embraces the value of public TRUST by actively building rapport and demonstrating confidence in our law enforcement ability to perform our sworn duty without disparate treatment found within some of our communities. Through active ENGAGEMENT, we are open to continued dialogue with our local community, schools, houses of worship, and businesses. We are ACCOUNTABLE to self, our agencies, and the local community at large. And we must have RESPECT for human life, regardless of one’s socioeconomic status.
About HAPCOA: The Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA) is a non-profit membership organization established in 1973. It is the oldest and largest association in the U.S. of Hispanic American command officers from law enforcement and criminal justice agencies at the municipal, county, state, university, and federal levels.
Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association
PO Box 29626
Washington, DC 20017
Recent Articles
NCIS personnel Attended the 2023 HAPCOA’s Annual Training Symposium
November 16, 2023
NCIS personnel, including Deputy Director for Operations Christopher McMahon, attended the 2023 Hispanic American Police… Read More
In conjunction with Hapcoa’s 50th Annual National Training Symposium, we hosted a career and exhibit… Read More