World News | US Park Police used excessive force against reporters during George Floyd protests, investigation finds

WASHINGTON, May 25 (AP) – An internal investigation has concluded that the U.S. Park Police was involved in an interview with two Australian journalists three years ago during the George Floyd protests near the White House. Unnecessary force was used in the standoff.

The Interior Department’s inspector general’s report, released to the public on Wednesday, determined that two unidentified park police officers violated their guidelines and training when they met with the unnamed reporter in the report. An Associated Press report at the time identified them as reporter Amanda Brace and cameraman Tim Myers, who were covering the protests live for Australia’s Channel 7.

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One officer struck Blaise with a baton, and another officer struck Myers with a riot shield and pushed his camera. The report noted that USPP guidelines require its officers to use “only the minimum level of reasonable force necessary to control the situation.”

Applying that criterion, the report concluded that the officer identified as “Officer #1” followed those guidelines when he used his shield to push Miles back, but later violated them when he pushed Miles’ camera. The second officer’s actions were determined to have clearly crossed the line by hitting Brace with a baton when she appeared to flee.

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“An objective and reasonable officer at the scene would not have concluded that the reporter posed a threat,” the report states.

The confrontation came during demonstrations against police brutality and entrenched racial evil in June 2020, sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis of. Floyd’s death sparked days of sometimes violent protests across the country, with protests in Washington, D.C., centered on Lafayette Park, across from the White House.

On June 1, about half an hour before the curfew began, law enforcement agents suddenly began clearing the area of ​​protesters so that former President Donald Trump could briefly be photographed in front of St. John’s Church. The confrontation with Brees and Myers came amid efforts to clear the area for Trump.

The report noted that both officers had advanced training as members of the Park Police’s dedicated civil unrest squad, “which included the use of shields and batons to manage crowds.” Vague guidelines for action — noting that “USPP policy does not establish a minimum level of reasonable force,” and we could find no other legal guidance to clarify the term.

Park Police Chief Jessica Taylor said in a statement she was reviewing the full report and referring the matter to the Office of Professional Responsibility “to recommend any corrective action, including disciplinary action if necessary.”

Reports indicated that one of the officers had left the force.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)