Fort Collins Police Chief Swoboda took to Facebook again to touch on a few protest-related topics affecting the community this weekend, including harm to peaceful protestors, the removal of memorial items from the Police Services sign, and where they stand on the George Floyd murder.

Firstly, the Chief condemned any sort of violence aimed towards those expressing their freedom of speech. Swoboda said that his team had to take action against an individual who was "blowing exhaust at a group downtown", referred to as "coal-rolling gatherings". He mentions that this will not be tolerated and thanks Fort Collins for the peaceful protest.

Secondly, Swoboda talked about how he and his team were forced to remove items that were a part of a vigil for George Floyd and other victims of police violence left on the Police Services sign. In his statement, he says:

 Due to the volume of items left each night, the expressed intention of multiple gatherings, as well as daily inclement weather, I made the decision to remove the items after the conclusion each event as we don’t have a mechanism to store/preserve this property. This is not intended as disrespect.

Swoboda mentioned that he has been photographing the displays and plans to share them in a meaningful way.

Lastly, the Chief reminded the community that he and his team stand with protesters in an attempt to end police brutality, saying: "No good cop wants bad cops in this profession."

To read Swoboda's full statement, check out the Facebook post right here:

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