'No Contact With The Public,' Fall River Police Officer Re-Assigned After Facebook Post Criticizes George Floyd
FALL RIVER (CBS) - Fall River Police now say it was one of their officers who "inadvertently" shared a post critical of George Floyd on the department's Facebook page earlier this week. But they have yet to name the officer.
The post was shared Tuesday after the conviction of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in the 2020 murder of Floyd that sparked nationwide protests against police brutality.
According to The Herald News, the post shared from a pro-law enforcement account said "Chauvin immediately stood and calmly placed his hands behind his back. Imagine where we'd be if George had done the same."
The Facebook post was deleted from the Fall River Police page and the department apologized Wednesday. They didn't admit it was an officer who shared the post until Thursday.
"The officer involved has been transferred to an assignment that has no contact with the public. There is going to be an independent investigator from outside the agency assigned to this case," Police Chief Jeffrey Cardoza said in a new statement Thursday.
"A member of this organization thought they were re-posting an opinion to their personal Facebook page. This individual is one of a few designated officers who has access to the Department's official Facebook page."
"(The) posting in no way reflects the beliefs of this organization. I am personally disappointed these attitudes exist.," the chief said. "Through training, we have been and will continue to ensure our staff practices fair and impartial policing."
