Fort Worth Police Officer On Administrative Leave After Allegedly Sharing 'Racially Insensitive' Meme
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The Fort Worth Police Department is investigating and an officer was placed on administrative duty after allegedly sharing a racially insensitive meme on Facebook.
He can not perform police officer duties and his badge and weapon were seized, according to the department.
The police department tweeted a press release on Thursday saying it started an internal investigation after "the Fort Worth Police Department was made aware of a racially insensitive and grossly inappropriate Facebook post which surfaced on an officer's personal profile. The Internal Affairs Unit quickly began an investigation into the matter, which is on-going, and the post was removed."
According to CBS 11 sources, one of the images in question is what appears to be a Black man laying in a coffin. The copy on the meme says, "The face you make when you don't understand 'stop resisting.' "
Cory Session, who is a part of Fort Worth's Race and Culture Task Force, said Friday evening this incident erodes the progress the police department has made in building trust with the people they serve.
"It is not the uniform. It is that individual in the uniform. And this individual has disgraced the uniform," Session said.
He said the officer should be fired for this incident.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price also released a statement saying in part: "This is a pitiful example of what it looks like when an officer fails to uphold the standards of decency, respect, and sensitivity that Forth Worth police officers are hired to exemplify. Resisting arrest is not a license to kill. End of story. I am quite frankly appalled by the post and the image."
#PressRelease on officer Facebook post: pic.twitter.com/NrPDT9rVTL
— Fort Worth Police (@fortworthpd) September 24, 2020
The release continued: "The Fort Worth Police Department holds every officer to a very high standard and any comment, post, or any communication which is racially insensitive and unprofessional will not be condoned in any manner," the department said in the press release. "Our department will continue to hold accountable those who do not meet that standard."