Kim Potter, a former Minnesota police officer convicted of killing Black motorist Daunte Wright by using a handgun instead of her taser in a traffic stop, is out of prison and speaking at law enforcement conferences, provoking debate over how misbehaving officers should atone for misdeeds. After Potter served her sentence, she met with Imran Ali, who prosecuted her. Ali said Potter wants to help other officers avoid taking a life. Ali saw the idea as a path toward redemption for officers who erred and a chance to promote healing in places shaken by police misconduct. Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, said the plan amounts to a scheme for Potter to turn a profit from his death and dredge up painful memories, the Associated Press reports.
Wright said, Potter "had her second chance. She got to go home with her children ... police officers, when they’re making quote-unquote mistakes, they still get to live in our community. They still get to continue their lives ... We don’t have a second chance to be able to bring our loved ones back.” Ali described Potter’s opening line in a planned presentation for a law enforcement agency in Washington state: “I killed Daunte Wright. I’m not proud of it. And neither should you be.” That presentation was canceled in September after news reports generated criticism. Other law enforcement groups, including one of the largest in Minnesota, have hosted the presentation and are continuing to invite Potter to speak. Ali is now a law enforcement consultant working to help departments implement changes that could prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office took over the prosecution of Potter after Ali resigned, has said the former officer’s public expression of remorse could help the community heal.
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