A Message to the Platteville Community from City Manager Adam Ruechel and Police Chief Doug McKinley

Dear City of Platteville Staff, Committee Members, Residents and Visitors,
Like many of you, we have seen the horrific video of the death of George Floyd. After watching the video, we are left with emotions of sadness, anger, and disgust.

Executive Director, Jim Palmer of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association issued a statement indicating, “The actions of the Minneapolis officers were outrageous, deplorable, and revolting, and would not satisfy the use of force standards and best practices employed by law enforcement in Wisconsin. The outright abuse inflicted upon George Floyd not only failed to meet the legal and professional standards that require officers to exercise force reasonably, it desecrated the most basic notions of human decency. We see no justification for the officers’ actions in this case, and they represent an affront to the core values and principles upon which the law enforcement profession is founded.”

As we have talked, Platteville Police Chief Doug McKinley and I agree: this incident not only makes the job of every law enforcement officer more difficult, it makes that job more dangerous as well. While the officers’ actions in the death of George Floyd are not representative of the law enforcement profession, it is an experience far too many people throughout our country experience. It undoes the good work our officers do and the strides the Platteville Police Department has made to strengthen its relationship with our residents.

While we recognize this statement alone cannot repair the hurt and pain which exists throughout our country, we believe acknowledging the incident is important to promote the changes which must occur in the months and years ahead.

We as residents of Platteville can control how we want to conduct business and how we want to treat each other. One of Platteville’s 2020 Strategic Goals calls to begin inclusivity conversations with the goal of developing an inclusivity plan. The City of Platteville is committed to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion for all residents and visitors.

As the new City Manager and Chief of Police for our City, we both share the following: Whether you are a resident or visitor to the City of Platteville, we want you to feel safe in our community, regardless of the time of day or location.

If as a resident or visitor to our City you have not felt safe, we want to know why? Please contact either Chief McKinley at Phone: (608) 348-2313, Email: mckinleyd@platteville.org or City Manager Ruechel at Phone: (608) 348-1821, Email: citymanager@platteville.org.

We are looking at ways to go beyond just this statement. Police Chief McKinley and I will work with staff, residents, and committee/community leaders to determine how the City can grow and improve.