Open Letter to the Residents of Hollis Regarding the Death of George Floyd

To the citizens of our great community,

The men and women of the Hollis Police Department take pride in providing fair, impartial, and highly effective police services to the members of our community.  We are aware of and deeply saddened by the actions of the Minneapolis Police Officers who were involved in the death of George Floyd.  We mourn the loss of Mr. Floyd, and pray for his family, his friends, and the City of Minneapolis.

In the policing profession, we work hard to build trust with the communities we serve.  The actions seen in the video do not align with the training or values of the Hollis Police Department, nor with those of the policing profession, and I consider those actions egregious and inexcusable. It is incredibly unfortunate that the actions taken by the Officers in Minnesota will likely set back the work done by professional and ethical police officers throughout the country. Those officers tarnished the reputation of the policing profession and have betrayed not only their community but their fellow officers. We must hold ourselves and our officers accountable for their actions.

Moving forward, we must consider how to collectively strengthen public trust when that trust has so publicly been breached. The police actions we have seen are not consistent with the standards, beliefs, and values of our Department. Every person deserves justice. We will continuously work to improve our culture, policies, and training. We all must do better to hold ourselves to a higher standard in policing and I can assure you that the Hollis Police Department is committed to working tirelessly to maintain and further earn your trust.

The members of the Hollis Police Department want to assure the citizens of Hollis that we stand with them and we respect their right to voice their concerns, peacefully. We are committed to continuing to partner with all members of our community to ensure that our town remains a place we can all be proud of. 

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that some in our community have expressed concerns about our delay in sending out this letter.  Some have even made comparisons that our delay in disseminating this letter is the same as the inaction of the officers who watched as Officer Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd for 8 minutes.  Let me say to those who make such claims – I am sorry and quite frankly, saddened you feel this way.  The decision to delay the release of this letter is mine and mine alone.  If you hold anger and resentment, direct it to me and not my officers or employees.  I also urge you to take the time to get to know the members of the Hollis Police Department.  When you do, you would find that this is not the culture of our organization.  To our citizens - I will gladly sit down with any person who wishes to discuss these issues or any others within our community.   

During these difficult times, let us all stand united to better our society.  Please stay safe and healthy and be kind to one another.

Respectfully,

Joseph R. Hoebeke
Chief of Police