'We Share That Pain': Denver Police Sgt. Talks About Race From Inside The Force
DENVER (CBS4)- As protesters march for change, some clashing with police, there are also those behind the badge who support both sides.
CBS4 talked with one such officer, Denver Police Sgt. Carla Havard. She has served 22 years in law enforcement and is one of a small group of black women on the force. She believes at this time, people can all join together to be upset at the death of George Floyd.
"We share that pain and that disappointment just like everyone else. Certainly as a law enforcement officer for over 22 years one of our main functions and duties is the preservation and protection of life, so I was absolutely disappointed, I was offended by that, and I'm glad that Minnesota did the right thing by charging those officers for their mistake," Sgt. Havard said.
Havard also told us, when she's out of the uniform she experiences racism like many others do, in some cases it's being followed in stores, or other times, she's ignored for service. In uniform, she's also aware that racism exists in policing. That's why she told us, she has been working to ensure officers are taking the right steps to conduct themselves without implicit bias. She has also worked to build up ties between police and minority communities to better understand their fears and concerns. Despite this, when she's been on duty at protests, she said she has been the target of attacks.
"As I tell folks you don't have to be upset at the officers, we can commonly be upset at some systemic racism and policing systems that we're all trying to change right now, so I think it's important for us to engage authentic, intimate conversations about how can we fix this. You can fix things on the outside, and you can do as I'm choosing and many others are choosing to do, try to fix this, try to combat this systemic problem, this institutionalized problem from the inside out," she said.
She emphasized, the Denver police is diligent in taking action towards officers that step out of line. She told us just last week former Officer Thomas McClay was fired for violating the department's social media policy. He posted a picture in uniform that was captioned, "Let's start a riot."
It's just one example, but she wants people to know there are officers like her, who will stand up for injustice.