Minneapolis police explain why they still do the job despite challenges after BLM riots

It is no secret that police officers have been under intense scrutiny in the aftermath of the "defund the police" movement in 2020. After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, there was a push to implement "racial justice reforms" in police departments nationwide, but officers say those reforms hamper their ability to get bad guys off the streets.

In exclusive interviews with Blaze Media, three officers with the Minneapolis Police Department explained why they are still on the job as the city is grappling with a shortage of manpower since the 2020 riots.

"There's a lot of days that I ask myself that question" about leaving the MPD, one officer admitted. "Every day it seems that they're coming out with different policies or different guidelines that make my job harder than it's ever been. But I think that there's still good in it. People still deserve to have their rights protected."

RELATED: Minneapolis police officers rip into Tim Walz's 2024 VP run: 'That made no sense'

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

"I've lost a number of close friends that left the department afterwards. I've seen guys that I've looked up to, tough as nails, that were completely broken afterwards, reduced to tears," another officer said.

"I've had friends come up to me or family members come up to me that say, 'We need more cops like you.' My response, if I ever hear a comment like that, is always, 'There are. The department is full of them. Certainly was full of them at that time.' We lost an unacceptable number of great cops, of great sergeants, lieutenants, leaders," the second officer continued.

The third officer explained it no longer matters what a suspect is doing prior to an officer using any level of force. The mindset from higher-ups is "what did you do wrong because you had to use force. It's almost kind of a cloud hanging over us."

Even with the day-to-day challenges, the officers said they still have days when they feel good about keeping the city safe and that they actually made a difference.

"It's hard to find that in another job."

Watch a 10-minute interview with the officers below. You can watch the full 30-minute documentary on BlazeTV.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!