SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum is emphasizing his department’s commitment to community trust following the news that a now former police officer is accused of assaulting a man during an arrest.

The Sioux Falls Police Department has issued a statement after it was announced one of their former officers is facing assault charges.

According to a release from the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office, former police officer Joseph Michael Larson, 32, has been charged in a July 24 incident in which he was acting as a police officer.

At police briefing on Friday, Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum spoke on behalf of the department.

“We do employ human beings who make decisions that sometimes we can’t control. But we as an agency, we get to control our response to those events. And we believe our response to these events, as they proceeded, is what the community would expect from us in this circumstance,” Thum said. “While some people may look at this event as an indictment of our agency or culture, the reality is that our response is a validation of culture, our values and expectations we have for ourselves as an agency.”

Chief Thum didn’t take any questions as he said the investigation is in the hands of the state’s attorney general.

Thum says after learning about the former officer’s alleged actions Larson didn’t work another shift and the case was turned over to the DCI.