FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – Tuesday morning, the West Virginia Sheriffs’ Association released a statement on the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in police custody in Minnesota.
“We at the Sheriff’s Association wanted to put out to the citizens of our great state of West Virginia that we as sheriffs feel for Mr. Floyd and his family. We know that it wasn’t right, and we don’t condone that,” Fayette County Sheriff Mike Fridley said.
Fridley explained the police behavior linked to George Floyd’s Death in Minnesota is not a reflection of all officers across the country.
“The one bad apple in the basket doesn’t make the whole basket of apples bad,” said Fridley. “And what that officer, if you want to call him that did, is wrong.”
The one-page document is signed by each sheriff in the state, and addresses the high standards they expect from the men and women in their department.
“We as sheriffs are not going to tolerate anything like that within our departments, and it will be dealt with swiftly,” said Fridley.
Fridley says he hopes this statement can help build trust between law enforcement and the community.
