By HOI ABC
NORMAL – A Normal Town Council member said she takes offense to suggestions from another council member that police were not prepared to handle the unrest that followed the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis Police custody last spring.
Outnumbered police backed off as rioters looted Target Department Store in Normal June 1.
At a day-long town council budget meeting on Tuesday, Stan Nord asked Chief Rick Bleichner if the department has sufficient resources “to prevent a repeat of what happened at Target.”
“We certainly feel good about where we’re at with the tools we have and the training we have right now,” said Bleichner.
The chief added the department has also analyzed what went well, and what improvements are needed.
Other council members praised the police response and efforts to de-escalate the situation at Target that night.
“Let’s not continue to refer to that night in June as some sort of deficit or inadequacy,” said Council member Kathleen Lorenz.
“I really take offense to that and I want to commend what the staff did that night and what they’ve been doing for our community this year under really extraordinary circumstances,” said Lorenz.
Council member Kevin McCarthy credited police for preventing people from being hurt or killed, and for “great follow-up” that led to arrests of several of the looters.
