George Floyd’s murder upended this suburban police department. Now, it’s trying to heal.

Officer Cheeka Vang doesn’t know what to expect when he begins his shift each day. He might get a call for an animal. Or a medical emergency. Or a domestic dispute.

And working for the Golden Valley Police Department in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder has come with an additional level of uneasiness. The subsequent debate about racism and the future of policing in America upended the suburban department just west of Minneapolis, and veteran officers left in droves.

“It was tough,” Vang recalled. “As a new officer, I was uncertain of my future.”

The Golden Valley Police Department is now smaller, younger and more diverse than it was five years ago. The city’s new chief and mayor are trying to heal fractures within the community. The upheaval in Golden Valley is just one example of the way Floyd’s murder shook thousands of police agencies nationwide.

“I think it’s hard to go into a police department in America and not have a conversation that doesn’t inevitably point to that day in Minneapolis as a turning point in policing,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a think tank based in Washington, D.C.

Progressives and conservatives across the nation fought over whether police departments should be replaced with new agencies. Some departments rolled out new rules for restraining people and training sessions on respecting diversity and calming tense situations. Some police licensing boards, including in Minnesota, received new powers to investigate complaints. And a growing number of agencies partnered with social workers to improve their response to mental health calls.

“We have to police better, and better means we need to listen to the community,” said Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green. “It took the death of a Black man to change that. It shouldn’t have.”

Golden Valley is smaller and whiter than its neighbor Minneapolis. It has about 22,000 residents, 80% of whom are white. But it has grown more diverse over the last 30 years, and even before Floyd’s death, city leaders had begun talking about equity in city government.

“The death of George Floyd made it clear to not just us, but I think people around the world, the importance and urgency of not only talking about public safety and racial disparities but doing something about it,” Council Member Gillian Rosenquist said.

Three days after Floyd’s murder, after rioting in Minneapolis, Golden Valley issued a statement offering condolences to the community and promising to ensure “that all its citizens can live their lives free of discrimination, fear, violence and hate.”

“I felt the community was capable of taking this leap,” said Shep Harris, who was mayor at the time. “Clearly, it created a lot of pain for some.”

What came next divided the community.

City leaders created a new police accountability commission. They apologized for times Golden Valley police had discriminated against Black men, including two high-profile cases from decades ago.

The police chief retired. The search for his successor intensified as people advocated for different candidates — and argued over whether race should play a role in that hire.

Harris called for an investigation into allegations of racism within the police department. The interim chief, who was white, withdrew his name from consideration for the job and sued, alleging racism. The city settled for $162,500 but admitted no wrongdoing.

One officer was fired after she shared recordings of a city equity training, including what investigators described as her “exasperated exclamations,” an expletive and a statement that she wanted to quit.

Many more officers left, including at least three who had complaints against them pending. As the department’s staffing dropped, residents took to social media asking if police would respond to calls.

Former City Council Member Joanie Clausen, one of Harris’ most outspoken critics, lamented the exodus.

“We had, I would say, the best police department around,” Clausen said. “We lost all of that experience, all of that knowledge about our community, and nobody cared. It was so sad.”

When Vang began working for the department in 2021, it had 29 officers. By the time he finished training and was able to patrol solo, it was down to seven.

He wondered: “Was the police department going to fall, and I was going to have to find a new job?”

Vang, who is Asian, lamented that “everything seems to always boil down to race.” He said he can’t control who calls 911.

But others in Golden Valley know what it’s like to be leery of police.

Roslyn Harmon, who helped lead the police accountability commission, knows the stories of men who had sued Golden Valley for discrimination or excessive force.

“As a Black woman, I think, for me, growing up, I’ve always had a fear of police, being pulled over, racially profiled,” she said.

When she ran for mayor in 2023, she met Green, who had just recently become Golden Valley’s first Black police chief. He told her about his experiences as an officer.

“That was a real pivotal turn in my thinking,” said Harmon, whose campaign acknowledged the harms of racism and the alarm some residents felt as the police department shrank.

She won and became the city’s first Black mayor.

Harmon and Green prioritize events that bring officers, residents and business owners together when they’re not in the middle of a crisis. The police accountability commission interviews potential officers. The chief stresses the importance of getting out of the car and talking to people.

“That community engagement piece has really been missing from policing, not just here in Golden Valley, but nationwide,” Green said.

The department has 26 officers — five shy of full strength — and receives help from the sheriff’s office.

Once 92% white, the Golden Valley Police Department is now more diverse. It hired its first Black female patrol officer and first Somali officer, among other officers of color. Some sergeants came from other agencies, but other recruits are new to policing.

The changes in Golden Valley continue to garner mixed reactions.

A company that recently surveyed city employees described 75% of them as a “flight risk.” Some employees said the rollout of new diversity policies was too strong, while others urged city leaders to take bolder actions to combat racism.

Green tries to temper reactions by explaining why the changes are necessary. He remembers the promises made after the beatings or deaths of Black men: Rodney King, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and George Floyd.

“I want to make sure that doesn’t happen here,” he said.