The Tampa Bay Police Department fired White in early March because he had twice spat the “N” word on duty. The problem was that White himself was African-American and the minor arrested was also African-American, which sparked a lot of discussion.
The Tampa Bay Police Department in Florida removed a school police officer in early March for spitting the “N” word while on duty and arresting an underage offender, the problem was that the officer himself was of African descent and the minor arrested was also of African descent. The police union, school faculty and students, and civil rights groups all felt that the punishment was too harsh. The police officer recently filed a complaint and hopes to be reinstated.
The Bay News9 and the Tampa Bay Times reported that Delvin White, an eight-year veteran of the force, was assigned as a campus police officer at a local high school three years ago and was caught saying “some ghetto n—-a” on his cell phone while driving off duty on Nov. 13, 2020, during a regular camera check.
White was immediately relieved of duty and later admitted that he had used the “N” word to refer to a suspended student when he later arrested him, but he did not mean it in a derogatory way and emphasized that the African-American community often uses the “N” word as a common Culture and experience. Although the review board unanimously agreed that White had violated the police department’s Code of Professional Responsibility and Operational Responsibility, and a majority of the board members found that he had not “demonstrated discrimination,” Chief Brian Dugan removed White from his position.
White admitted that he should be punished for the “N” word, but did not feel that he should be removed from office, “Yes, I said the N word, but not to discredit him. Police union representative Danny Alvarez pointed out that the use of the “N” word by the African-American community has a very different meaning, and while White did make a mistake in spitting the banned word while on duty, the union does not feel his mistake was so great that he should be fired, “in the place where White was born, raised and employed. Where White was born, raised and employed, a certain type of language is acceptable, it’s like saying brother, I can’t speak”.
Chief Duggan said in an interview that he knew that removal from office was unpopular, but it had nothing to do with the color of the skin, and that White’s use of the “N” word twice bothered him. The “N” word is a very important word. He stressed that “the policy is very clear, unless the situation allows to mitigate (punishment), or a said is removed from office”.
Recent Comments