As protests against the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd have sparked across the country and in Iowa, Guthrie County Sheriff Marty Arganbright comments on the incident that ignited unrest among citizens and where we go forward from here.

Arganbright says the method of how former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee over the neck of the unarmed Floyd on May 25th is not how he and other law enforcement are trained to subdue suspects. He shares his thoughts on the protests that have occurred in the week following Floyd’s death, “I don’t have a problem with just protesting the way they have the right to but I do have a problem with when it goes beyond that and they try to hurt people and bash police cars and business’ windows and then when all the looting takes place, that’s when it goes too far.”

Arganbright shares how he thinks relations between law enforcement and citizens can be repaired, “I think it starts at the top in Washington, D.C. and goes to states and through the governors and try to build your cities and your communities with a relationship with all the people that we serve and I know for the most part any of the police officers or state patrol, any that I work with they’re always top notch people and they do the best to keep everyone safe.”

Governor Kim Reynolds held a press conference Monday stating that the criminal act of violence that robbed Floyd of his rights and life was unconscionable and must be met with swift justice. She also mentioned that the lawless actions of a few people during the protests that occurred in Des Moines undermined the message of change and hope that many seek, and that it is never right to react with violence.