Name: Alameda police chief to retire in wake of video showing arrest of dancing Black man
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Alameda police chief to retire in wake of video showing arrest of dancing Black man

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Alameda Police Chief Paul Rolleri announced that he will retire after 28 years on the force in a letter sent to the city manager, according to . The decision comes after criticism of Rolleri's response to a showing five Alameda police officers pinning and handcuffing a Black man to the ground."I think he is an excellent police chief," Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft told ABC 7. "This is a difficult time to be a police chief or a police officer anywhere, our department is working hard to right wrongs and move forward."While Rolleri made no mention of Mali Watkins' arrest or the video in his retirement letter, the incident generated controversy since it occurred within days of the death of George Floyd by police in Minnesota on May 25.In the video, Alameda police confront the 44-year-old Watkins on May 23 after a woman reported "an African American person in the middle of the street ... dancing and turning all around — obviously something’s very wrong, and I’m just afraid," according to .Body-cam footage shows police approaching Watkins, who explains to officers that he's dancing in the street to avoid pedestrians on the sidewalk. Officers then grab Watkins' arms after he stops answering questions. Minutes later, three officers push Watkins to the ground and handcuff him.More Bay Area NewsAfter the video was posted on social media, Alameda Vice Mayor John Knox White released a statement: "I am outraged and I am sad and I am committed to ensuring that there is a full, independent investigation and that there is accountability for those involved, including those who created a system that allowed this to happen."An independent investigation into the arrest was started in early June, and by early July, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office decided not to pursue charges against Watkins for resisting arrest, informing Rolleri in a .The district attorney's office also declined to file charges against the two primary police officers involved in the arrest, Harris Smiler and Anthony Buck."These officers require training regarding contacts, detentions, citations and arrests of individuals," wrote Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley. “I am offering one of my experienced Assistant District Attorneys to provide training to your officers, particularly related to detentions and consensual contacts to prevent any similar events from occurring in the future.”Matthew Tom is a Homepage Editor at SFGATE. Email: mtom@sfgate.com.

Alameda Police Chief Paul Rolleri announced that he will retire after 28 years on the force in a letter sent to the city manager, according to . The decision comes after criticism of Rolleri's response to a showing five Alameda police officers pinning and handcuffing a Black man to the ground."I think he is an excellent police chief," Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft told ABC 7. "This is a difficult time to be a police chief or a police officer anywhere, our department is working hard to right wrongs and move forward."While Rolleri made no mention of Mali Watkins' arrest or the video in...

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Matthew Tom

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Alameda police chief to retire in wake of video showing arrest of dancing Black man

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