Suburban Detroit officer on leave after Floyd Facebook post

Associated Press

Suburban Detroit officer on leave after Floyd Facebook post

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit police department has placed one of its officers on unpaid leave after a social media post making light of the death of George Floyd was shared.

A photo of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck, along with the statement "When you gotta change a tire but don't wanna get your trousers dirty," was shared by the Sterling Heights officer on Facebook, WXYZ-TV  reported.

Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck while he was handcuffed and saying he couldn't breathe. Chauvin, who was fired, is awaiting trial.

Floyd's death sparked protests in Minneapolis, Detroit and other cities and led to a nationwide reckoning on race.

Sterling Heights is in Macomb County, north of Detroit. Its police department has launched an investigation. The name of the officer who shared the post has not been released.

"If we're not policing our own guys, I don't blame any resident for not trusting a police officer when they get pulled over or arrested," Police Chief Dale Dwojakowski told the television station.

"As a police officer, when you post something it carries tremendous weight," he added. "That's why we have a policy that says you can't post anything inflammatory against a religion, race, gender. Nothing like that. It's all prohibited."

The city of Sterling Heights said in a statement that it "disavows the abhorrent imagery and messaging that appeared in the post."

"The police department is committed to completing the investigation and disciplinary process as quickly as possible," the statement read. "It must be clear that there is no place for hateful and offensive content like that within our community."