Melissa Adamson, a part-time police officer in Pennsylvania, lost two jobs after posting a racial slur to her Snapchat account.
The post purportedly shows Ms Adamson wearing her uniform and posing with the caption, “I’m the law today n***a.” When the Snapchat image surfaced online, Mayor Michael Cherepko of McKeesport fired Ms Adamson from her position after her first few weeks on the job.
Mayor Cherepko addressed the indiscretion on Tuesday by saying that the terminated officer’s actions would not be tolerated in his borough.
“This post displays a degree of conduct and character that is far different from what I would expect from an officer in this city. It is absolutely unacceptable,” he wrote on the city’s Facebook account. “Without hesitation, my office and the police chief’s office immediately concluded that this officer’s actions will not be tolerated in the City of McKeesport. She has been relieved of her duties, and her employment has been terminated.”
Ms Adamson stepped down from her second part-time job in Versailles after the image surface online, WTAE reports. Her former employer, the Pitcairn Police Department, also released a statement on the matter.
“There has been a picture circulating around of an ex-female employee of the Pitcairn Police Department,” the statement reads. “As the picture alone does not constitute misconduct, it is symbolic speech and protected under the First Amendment. However, it is the content of the text in the picture which is unacceptable. The Pitcairn Police Department holds high integrity for the community we serve and this type of conduct will not be tolerated.”
The former officer has since apologised for the image and called her actions a "stupid mistake."
“Everyone knows that I don’t have a racist bone in my body,” she told the local news outlet. “And people who don’t know me, I can understand why it was misconstrued to where it looks racist. But like I said, everyone who knows me, knows I’m not racist.”
