Calaveras Sheriff Addresses National Looting, Rioting Protests
San Andreas, CA – In the wake of escalating protests across the country sparked by the murder of George Floyd, Sheriff Rick DiBasilio has issued a statement.
Calaveras County Board Chair and District 3 Supervisor Merita Callaway undersigned the communication, which is addressed to county residents. The sheriff explains that the intent is to put a personal touch and point of contact regarding the case going on in Minneapolis along with the protests.
He states, “First and foremost, I absolutely disagree with what these officers did. It is inexcusable. The murder of George Floyd has shocked the nation, including our rural Calaveras County. We like to feel we are protected and what happened in Minneapolis would not happen here.”
The rest of the statement follows here…
“As members and officials in our community, we are appalled by what happened to Mr. Floyd. To those profiled or mistreated because of their race, religion, or sexual preference–we are dedicated this will not happen in Calaveras.
“Our Law Enforcement within the county are highly trained in Racial and Cultural Diversity Training; Racial Profiling, de-escalation techniques, and the most current use of force laws. Any law enforcement within the County using excessive force will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“As far as the looting and rioting, I am strongly opposed to that unlawful behavior. Peaceful demonstrations are a person’s right. I support any American’s right to speak out on issues they believe are important; however, lootings, damaging some poor victim’s or business owner’s property is completely wrong and will not be tolerated in this county.
“Blocking traffic, stealing property, and damaging someone’s business; those are innocent victims that had nothing to do with that incident and this will not be tolerated in this county. If any group starts to use this event as a reason to create new crimes in this county, I am going to arrest them and work with the DA to see that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.
“In closing on Minneapolis, the criminal justice system takes time and the criminal justice system has to take its course. I hope that it prevails. While it is a challenging time to be in public safety and public service, we are deeply committed to assuring that all the people of Calaveras feel safe and secure. Thank You for your support.”
