Like the rest of the country, Rochester Police Officer Kevin Sizer watched that Minneapolis police officer arresting George Floyd with his knee on his neck.

"A lot of people see the video and automatically make up their mind. ‘This is exactly how it happened.’  And that's not exactly true,” said Sizer.

And while he had questions about what led to that moment, Sizer, who is African American, agrees what he later saw in the video just wasn't right.

"It didn't have to happen,” he said.

That's why when Sizer was called in early to work on Saturday, he understood why people had taken to the streets to protest. He didn't understand what happened next.  

“There were peaceful protests at the beginning, that's your right. But to go out and vandalize? What are you doing when you destroy a police car? What is that showing?" he said.

Sizer joined the Rochester Police Department 17 years ago. He said he felt it was a calling from God to serve.

He's the treasurer of the police union and has for the last few years worked midnights in the city's busy Genesee Section.

He said he used to love the job.

“It's a lot more challenging with everything that's going on,” said Sizer.

Sizer says being an African-American officer often helps connect him to the people he serves.

"They look more at you to answer their questions because they probably feel more comfortable,” he said.

But he disagrees with those who say the white officers on those calls with him are racist.

“A lot of white officers, and I’ve said this to a lot of people, they are reaping what their forefathers might have sown back in the day,” Sizer explained. “I don’t think white [officers] are going out to intently hurt or harm or even kill another person, another race."

Sizer hates when officers are all put in the same pool. He says training, department culture, even community racism is different depending on where you live, which for him is in Rochester.

He goes about his job with the same mindset by which he raises his children.  

“If we stop looking at people as colors, maybe this would be a better world,” said Sizer. “Just look at people as human beings. That's how I try to do my job, that's how I try to live my life, and it's what I try to teach my kids.”

Sizer doesn't think the solution is just to hire more minorities.

“There probably could be more diversity but it's like any other job, just don't put them in there because they're black,” he said.

He says they could all benefit from more continuous training and strong leadership behind the scenes.

"It's too bad politics plays a role in policing and it makes it harder for an officer to do this job,” said Sizer.