Fired for Facebook Sins?
 PIX News At Ten |
Some of their comments were racist. Others were malicious. No gentleman would ever speak in such a way about a 74-year-old woman. So what should happen to three Harrison cops and one Codes Enforcement Officer who published vulgar, sexually insulting, and prejudiced facebook attacks against their elderly Town Supervisor and their African American President?
Shouldn't they be fired? Indeed, how can a black Harrison resident be expected to trust one of these guys were he ever to pull him or her over? How can an elderly or female resident not shudder when the police lights flash behind her?
On the other hand, why should these officers be punished for comments they made outside of work. As repugnant their words are... doesn't the Constitution protect even racists and chauvinists from government retaliation.
The question is most accurately this: Does the First Amendment protect public employees from being dismissed ...when their cyberspaces turn out to be less politically correct than their professional selves?
Here are the issues as I see them.
In favor of keeping the crude cops employed:
1. The targets of their insults were a local mayor and a sitting President. Both public figures. The courts give the most First Amendment protection to speech aimed at political figures.
2. The racist, crass comments were not typed while the officers were carrying out official duties of the Town.
In favor of firing the crude cops:
1. The utterances were published on a very public facebook page, accessible to anyone. Thus, in a sense, the slurs were "live" comments.... Active in the public sphere while the officers were making arrests and handing out code violation notices. This may be a moot point.... Because the time stamps on some of the Facebook comments are during police detective and patrol shifts.
2. The speech was... In its essence... Not very political. When Det. Rich Light wrote that under an Obama administration, " the rose garden will be turned into the watermelon garden," he was not criticizing the man's policy or his character. Light was simply making a sick racist joke. As far as I can tell racist jokes don't become political speech just because the target of the jokes happens to be a politician.
3. Most police departments have codes of conduct that restrict what activities uniformed members can engage in - even when they're not in uniform. For instance, officers are routinely forbidden from owning businesses within the zones they patrol. If making racial slurs and insulting senior citizens are your hobbies..... Perhaps law enforcement isn't the best field of employment for you?
Ultimately it will be up to the Town of Harrison, the police chief, and perhaps the courts to decide the fates of these four officers. Their careers are certainly sullied. That said, their disgrace should serve as a lesson for the millions of Facebook Nation citizens. I happen to be one, by the way.
The First Amendment protects us from quite a lot. But....and this is a big but.... It does not protect us against our own ignorance. In the modern world.... We are all public figures. Our actions on the internet may live forever in cyberspace. Some have said the comments of these officers were meant to be locker room banter among friends. Well, no physical locker room should tolerate bigotry in word or deed. If one is foolish enough to treat the internet as a cyber locker room, he must accept the consequences of public humiliation.
If you happen to be loose with your words online.... It's an important question to consider. Does your Facebook banter resemble off-color locker room chatter? Even for those of us not prone to racial slurs and chauvinistic language, beware.... Your reputation..... and your job could be at stake.
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Comments: 10
Of course they should be fired.
While the first amendment protects free speech, it does not protect your job.
These are public safety officers who whether or not on duty have an obligation to protect and to serve. Just as they are entrusted to carry their service weapons while off duty, the same applies to their public and private behavior.
These are police officers. Not drunken irresponsible frat boys.
The public deserves a police force to protect them; not denigrate and abuse them. Harrison citizens, all citizens really, should demand they be fired.
it is also unthinkable that a member of the police department, in any city in America would disrespect the President of the United States which such horrible, racist filth.
They should be fired. The Secret Service, and FBI should also take a look at these criminals for possible harm to President Obama.
This behavior is sickening.
I as an African American male feel the officers should'nt be getting paid while they are on suspencion. That's just like a paid vacation.
As for those who feel they did nothing wrong are just like the men who are acussed of doing this horrific thing, how is it they don't see the crime in itself.
These officers should be fired!
As police officers, they have disrespected the badge. There is an decorum which MUST be followed with absolutely no deviation and they blatantly disregarded what they have pledged to uphold.
From the looks of Officer Light's photo, not even in his dreams could he ever be as healthy, physically fit and disciplined connoisseur of healthy food as President Obama. Light could use a lot less unhealthy food and a great deal of exercise (perhaps some basketball and daily early morning workouts like President Obama). If KFC and watermelon makes one look and behave like President Obama, we all should be consuming it in large quantities.
I think light and his cohorts are consumed with envy of President Obama's physical, intellectual and powerful achievements as well as our (and their) president's classy demeanor. They feel their manhood is also threatened by the authority figure of the female Town Supervisor, Joan Walsh, whom they also disrespected.
God bless you guys even if you don't believe in God; I don't think HE would approve of your behavior.
From the looks of Officer Light's photo, not even in his dreams could he ever be as healthy, physically fit and disciplined connoisseur of healthy food as President Obama. Light could use a lot less unhealthy food and a great deal of exercise (perhaps some basketball and daily early morning workouts like President Obama). If KFC and watermelon makes one look and behave like President Obama, we all should be consuming it in large quantities.
I think light and his cohorts are consumed with envy of President Obama's physical, intellectual and powerful achievements as well as our (and their) president's classy demeanor. They feel their manhood is also threatened by the authority figure of the female Town Supervisor, Joan Walsh, whom they also disrespected.
God bless you guys even if you don't believe in God; I don't think HE would approve of your behavior.
From the looks of Officer Light's photo, not even in his dreams could he ever be as healthy, physically fit and disciplined connoisseur of healthy food as President Obama. Light could use a lot less unhealthy food and a great deal of exercise (perhaps some basketball and daily early morning workouts like President Obama). If KFC and watermelon makes one look and behave like President Obama, we all should be consuming it in large quantities.
I think light and his cohorts are consumed with envy of President Obama's physical, intellectual and powerful achievements as well as our (and their) president's classy demeanor. They feel their manhood is also threatened by the authority figure of the female Town Supervisor, Joan Walsh, whom they also disrespected.
God bless you guys even if you don't believe in God; I don't think HE would approve of your behavior.
Sorry for the repeated posts. The site never alerted me that my commnets were accepted so I kept hitting "submit" and waited for the "submitted" notification. Again, my apology.
isn't this reporter the guy who said their are some flakes on the a$$hole instead of asphalt?
hey glorioso, stick to the weather & let real reporters deal with the rest of the stuff..
maybe they can use you on the new fallon show?
THEY SHOULD BE FIRED. PLAIN AND SIMPLE!
you are right chris, they should be fired.
i think you're an excellent reporter, and probably one of the stronger ones at the station.
i enjoy watching you every evening with my children.
keep up the great work!