A Massachusetts police department apologized for sharing a response to Chauvin's guilty verdict that said Chauvin 'calmly placed his hands behind his back' and to imagine if George Floyd 'had done the same'
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Fall River Police apologized after sharing a response to Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict on Tuesday.
"Chauvin immediately stood and calmly placed his hands behind his back," the post read in part.
Imagine if George Floyd "had done the same," it continued. Police said it was shared erroneously.
A Massachusetts police department apologized after sharing a post on its Facebook page that read: "Derek Chauvin immediately stood and calmly placed his hands behind his back. Imagine where we'd be if George had done the same."
The now deleted Facebook post was shared by the Fall River Police Department in Massachusetts on Tuesday after Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
The post reshared a screenshot of a tweet that read: "Chauvin immediately stood and calmly placed his hands behind his back. Imagine where we'd be if George had done the same."
On Wednesday, the department published another post saying the Facebook page was accessed by an employee who mistook the account as their own.
"It is with regret that the Fall River Police Department's Facebook page was accessed by personnel who inadvertently re-posted an opinion that was meant for their own personal account," the police department wrote in a post on Wednesday morning. "The posting in no way represents the opinion of the Chief of Police or the Fall River Police Department."
Fall River Police Chief Jeffrey Cardoza issued another statement on Thursday saying the employee is "one of a few designated officers" with access to the department's public Facebook page.
"Today's posting in no way reflects the beliefs of this organization," Cardoza wrote in a statement dated April 21 but posted on the department's Facebook page on Thursday. "I am personally disappointed these attitudes exist. Through training, we have been and will continue to ensure our staff practices fair and impartial policing."
He also said the incident was being evaluated by an independent investigator, and that the officer has been transferred to "an assignment that has no contact with the public."
In an interview with the Fall River Reporter on Wednesday, Cardoza called the post "inappropriate."
"I understand why people are upset," Cardoza said. "I'm upset as well. I wanted folks to know that I've been speaking with the mayor. I've been speaking with the council and the officer. We're going to have an investigation."
"It's not too much to look at, I know what he did, and I'm going to be looking at possibly giving that officer some discipline," the police chief added.
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