LAPD severely mishandled George Floyd protests, says a new report by former police commanders

Los Angeles was rocked by last summer’s protests following the death of George Floyd. The unrest was unlike anything we’ve seen since 1992. Now a huge new report commissioned by the LA City Council and written by former LAPD commanders sharply criticizes how police responded.

It says officers were poorly trained in crowd control and use of force, and that they had no plan for what to do with the thousands of people arrested, some of whom spent hours locked up for minor offenses, often without water or access to a bathroom. The report also says that during the pandemic, there was often little concern for social distancing or wearing masks.