An officer with the #RichmondPoliceDepartment in Virginia is being disciplined after he was caught on video telling a group of Black middle schoolers “Wait until your a**es turn 18, then you’re mine.”
The police launched an internal investigation after the video clip of the March 28th incident was shared on Facebook and his since been viewed more than 50,000 times, @nbcnews reports.
The department has not identified the officer but confirms that he is white. The officer will now have to undergo remedial training. Richmond Police interim chief William C. Smith, apologized in a statement late last week to the citizens of Richmond as well as the students involved and their parents.
“His actions do not reflect the values, training, or policies of the department,” Smith said.
The department concluded an internal investigation of the video and a disciplinary recommendation for the officer, which resulted in him being reassigned to another area of the city to ensure that there is no appearance of bias or retaliation within the community, Smith said.
In his 15-year tenure, the officer had received one complaint prior to the incident and has served in various areas of the city, according to Smith, who added that the officer had expressed regret for his actions.
“He voluntarily requested to be given the opportunity to speak to and apologize to the parents,” Smith said. “While these facts don’t minimize the incident, they do give you totality of the person.”
Keisha Curry, the mother of one of the 13-year-old girls who recorded the officer, told NBC News on that Smith’s response is concerning.
“Not letting the public know who the officer is doesn’t allow any other individuals the opportunity to speak out if they were mistreated by him before,” Curry said. “Everyone knows we didn’t want him fired based on this encounter, but how can this behavior be fully investigated by only doing an internal investigation, when the verbal threat was done in the community?”
Curry’s daughter Cameron Hilliard said she was among a group of students walking to an after-school program when the officer drove up in a patrol car. After someone said “f**k the police,” Cameron said the officer backed up and asked who said it before telling them to wait until their 18, “then you’re mine,” and then he drove off.
We’ll keep you posted on this story, Roommates.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
