The killing of George Floyd has left a lasting impact on the world he left behind. Floyd's death sparked numerous protests to end police brutality, racism and racial injustice.
Unfortunately, in the process of protesting, many rioters and looters have hurt people, including police officers. Floyd's killing has also shifted people's feelings about the average law enforcement officer, which isn't right.
While it's true that many officers abuse power they've been given, Derek Chauvin's actions don't represent every police officer.
There are so many great and honorable law enforcement officers, many of which serve us here in Eastern Idaho.
To help quell the seeming divide between citizens and officers, the Idaho Falls Police Department held a Q&A event last Wednesday, June 3. The event allowed community members to ask police anything they wanted answers to.
Jessica Clements, the public information officer for the Idaho Falls Police Department, said the event had a pleasant atmosphere.
"Most everyone who came was really excited," Clements said. "People genuinely wanted to know, wanted to understand and wanted to have a dialogue."
While the event stayed peaceful, even after some protesters showed up, not every question was easy to answer.
"There were a few tough ones...[people] had really good questions, they had concerns and they had things they wanted answers to," Clements said.
The event was a positive experience, Clements said, and it allowed people to talk with the police peacefully, bringing the community closer together.
George Floyd's death has made some people see all police officers as unlawful and brutal, which just is not the case.
"When people watch the video of what happened to George Floyd, it's shocking, and it's hard to watch... it's hard for our officers to watch, it's hard for our Chief to watch, it's hard for me to watch," Clements said. "The actions of the officer in Minneapolis (Derek Chauvin) do not represent the very high standards of law enforcement, and certainly not the high standards we hold for our officers here in Idaho Falls and in Eastern Idaho."