The Officer Failed To Read The New DOJ Ferguson Rules of Conduct.

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St. Louis officer disciplined because protesters are offended by his name badge
December 13, 2014

St. Louis police officers continue to babysit protesters demonstrating against police brutality, and the protesters keep acting like children.

A city police officer will be disciplined after a protester complained about the name badge on his arm that read “Wilson,” the Saint Louis Post Dispatch reported. The gesture was meant as a show of support for Darren Wilson, the exonerated officer whose actions kicked off the national cops vs community controversy.

About 100 protesters were conducting a “holiday-themed” march to city hall, according to the Post Dispatch, when they noticed the officer’s offense.

It “shows whose side he’s on,” one of the protesters explained. “I clench my fist. I want to attack, like they want to attack us. I know [beeep] well they know Darren Wilson wasn’t attacking in self-defense. Darren Wilson had an option to Mace him. But he got to shoot.”

Chief Sam Dotson said that the officer violated policies and will be disciplined.

“I couldn’t be more disappointed,” Dotson said. “We spend a lot of time working on professionalism and building a bridge in the community.”

Jeff Roorda, business manager for the St. Louis Police Officers’ Association, spoke out in support of the unnamed officer

“For months, the U.S. Department of Justice has been calling violent protests where officers were shot at and had Molotov cocktails thrown at them ‘constitutionally protected exercises of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression,’” Roorda said.

“Now a police officer does nothing more than wear another officer’s name on his sleeve, an officer who has been exonerated of any wrongdoing, and is being told that his passive statement is constitutionally prohibited free speech. There is something wrong with this picture.”

In the mean time, the protesters kept the racial animosity brewing with remarks like this one from Elizabeth Vega, one of the protest organizers.

“We know if Santa were black or brown, we know he’d be shot and killed for breaking and entering.”

http://www.bizpacreview.com/2014/12/13/s...9#ixzz3LuoB8pYZ
 
Quote:“Now a police officer does nothing more than wear another officer’s name on his sleeve, an officer who has been exonerated of any wrongdoing, and is being told that his passive statement is constitutionally prohibited free speech. There is something wrong with this picture.”

Don't get me wrong, I believe Wilson had a justified shoot. And I feel the grand jury made the right decision.

But I also feel freedom of speech applies when the officer of the law is off duty. On duty and in uniform he or she is representing the city/county/state that they are working for. What if an officer in uniform wanted to wear the name of a known KKK member or another officer wants to wear a wrist band stating black power or Malcom X? Still freedom of speech?
 
Originally Posted By: Coyotejunki
What if an officer in uniform wanted to wear the name of a known KKK member or another officer wants to wear a wrist band stating black power or Malcom X? Still freedom of speech?

If the former were white, and the latter were black, which would the agency allow?
 
I agree with Coyotejunki... However I see it as a simple "out of uniform" violation that should simply be corrected by his first line supervisor at the lowest level of the chain of command... LEOs are supposed to be professionals as opposed to the riff raff that are trying to keep civil... I commend them for keeping restraint and not opening fire on the yahoos throwing Molotov cocktails and firing from the crowd...

For an outsider looking in, at this incident based on facts and video documentation it is easy to see who the "good guys" are... Too bad they picked such a loser to rally around... I support this groups right to fly an American flag upside down, yet see them as the lowest form of this society for doing so... As for their looting, "ABLE" body citizens are in dereliction of duty for not defending their storefronts with lethal force...
 
Quote:If the former were white, and the latter were black, which would the agency allow....In most agencies with which I'm familiar, it would be equal...Even in the small 'politically' involved ones...
 
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