Derek Chauvin verdict reactions

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in a statement Wednesday that "any other result" in this case "would have been a travesty of justice."

Going forward, she said, "We need to see robust measures to prevent further arbitrary killings."

"As we have painfully witnessed in recent days and weeks, reforms to policing departments across the U.S. continue to be insufficient to stop people of African descent from being killed," Bachelet said. "It is time to move on from talk of reform to truly rethinking policing."

She continued, "This case has also helped reveal, perhaps more clearly than ever before, how much remains to be done to reverse the tide of systemic racism that permeates the lives of people of African descent. We need to move to whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches that dismantle systemic racism."

Patrick Lynch, president of the nation's largest police union, the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, said in a statement, "As we have said from the beginning, what Derek Chauvin did that day was not policing. It was murder."

Going forward, Lynch said, "It's time for an honest discussion of policing and public safety that begins with the real challenges we face on our streets."

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky

The Justice Department is launching a civil investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department to determine whether the police department has a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday.

The investigation will assess whether the department "engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, including during protests," and will "assess whether the MPD engages in discriminatory conduct, and whether its treatment of those with behavioral health disabilities is unlawful," Garland said. "It will include a comprehensive review of the Minneapolis Police Department's policies, training, supervision, and use of force investigations."

"Accountability is an essential part of building trust with the community," Garland said. "Public safety requires public trust."

"Justice is sometimes slow, sometimes elusive and sometimes never comes," he said. "The Department of Justice will be unwavering in its pursuit of equal justice."

In a statement Thursday night, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo reacted to the verdict reached in the Derek Chauvin trial, which found one of the department's former officers guilty in the murder of George Floyd.

"I want to acknowledge and thank the jurors on this case for their immense responsibility and honorable civic duty," he said. "The verdict has been read and I respect the process and the decision."

The chief took the moment to thank the members of the force and their families.

"The past year has been difficult and challenging, yet they have continued to show up and serve our community with the respect and dignity they deserve," he said.

Arradondo asked for "calm, safety and peace in our communities" in the wake of the verdict, and said the department will "strive to do our very best to earn your trust."

The chief was one of the highest-profile witnesses to testify for the prosecution during the trial. He told jurors that Chauvin violated numerous use-of-force and ethics policies in the fatal arrest of Floyd.