CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Members of the community plan on holding peaceful protests throughout the weekend in response to George Floyd, a man who was killed Monday after an incident involving Minneapolis police officers.
Floyd's death has sparked protests across the country, making national headlines. He also has local ties to the Coastal Bend.
The Corpus Christi police department took to Facebook Saturday afternoon to issue a statement regarding the incident.
The following is a statement from Corpus Christi Police Chief Mike Markle.
"Due to a recent contentious incident resulting in a deadly contact between a Major City Police Department and one of its citizens, George Floyd, the Police Profession has come under increased scrutiny. Based on this incident, I believe the increased attention on Police interaction with citizens is well warranted.
I want to take a moment to impress upon you the great effort made by the Corpus Christi Police Department to improve citizen interaction by continually updating processes, equipment and most importantly maintaining a culture of respect for human life.
The Corpus Christi Police Department works tirelessly to build and maintain trust and quality relationships within our community. Although this incident did not occur locally, we understand the actions of a few officers can harm the longstanding relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.
Maintaining an open and honest relationship with those we serve is the cornerstone of our success as a professional police agency and a hallmark of this administration.
Treating you with respect and dignity is of the utmost importance to us and we are committed to maintaining the high level of service that you have come to expect.
We thank you for your continued support."
