The Sheriff’s Department has launched an internal affairs investigation after an employee was accused of sharing what was described as a “vulgar image” — one the local NAACP branch says was an altered picture of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.
The employee was removed from his official duties and placed on a “paid administrative assignment” within hours after officials learned of the incident, the department said. The employee does not have peace officer authority while the investigation is under way.
The NAACP San Diego’s president issued a statement Monday calling for the dismissal — not just reassignment — of the employee, a deputy she said had emailed the altered image of Floyd, who died after the police officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
In the image, the police officer is replaced with “a naked black male porn star kneeling on Mr Floyd,” with the words “Quit resisting…” added, according to the statement from branch president Francine Maxwell.
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“The image was lewd and racist and vile and should disturb anyone with a shred of human decency,” the statement reads.
Speaking to The San Diego Union-Tribune Monday afternoon, Maxwell said it was “very, very disheartening that somebody that has all that power decided to waste their time to share something they thought as humorous, but was not.”
The department confirmed Monday that on June 18, it learned of “an incident involving one of its employees” and placed that person on paid administrative assignment.
“We were so disgusted that an employee may have shared such a vulgar image that within minutes we began to take action,” the department said in a statement to the Union-Tribune.
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The department did not clarify what the image was, nor did it provide name of the employee.
“We want to assure the public we took the matter very seriously and acted swiftly to put a stop to it,” the statement reads. “We understand the public concern and want to reiterate that we want to bring the matter to a just conclusion as soon as possible.”
Department representatives declined further comment, saying the matter was still under “active investigation.”
The Union-Tribune has not seen the image. Maxwell said she has.
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She said she issued her statement Monday after receiving an anonymous package asking her to look deeper into the matter, which first came to public attention in a television news report in mid-June. She said she wants to the see the deputy fired.
“Removing someone’s powers and reassigning them but they are still getting the full paycheck — that is not signaling to the community that “We hear you, we are listening to you, doing something action oriented,” Maxwell said. She later added,” Reassigning someone is not signaling change. That is signaling business as usual.”
The May 25 death of Floyd, who was Black, under the knee of a White police officer sparked national outrage and prompted protests decrying racial injustice and bias in policing, and demanding change.
“The time we are in is not going to come for another 20 to 25 years, so we need to weed out now,” Maxwell said.
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“We have a chance for change,” she later added, “and I am not going to let it slip through on my watch.”
Maxwell’s statement names the deputy and notes that he had been involved in fatal shootings in the mid-2000s. The Union-Tribune is not identifying him because it could not confirm he is the deputy at the center of the matter.
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Sheriff's Department says employee removed from duty after 'vulgar image' surfaces - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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