Massachusetts Police Department Facebook Post Attacks George Floyd After Chauvin Verdict

The Fall River Police Department apologized for the post, blaming an officer who intended to share it on his personal account.
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A Massachusetts police department has apologized for sharing an offensive Facebook post about George Floyd, saying it was posted accidentally by an officer who intended it for his personal account.

The screenshot of a tweet shared on the Fall River Police Department’s Facebook page referenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s reaction to being convicted of murdering George Floyd in May 2020.

It read: “Chauvin immediately stood and calmly placed his hands behind his back. Imagine where we’d be had George done the same.”

The post sparked widespread anger and was quickly deleted.

The police department explained that its Facebook page had been “accessed by personnel who inadvertently re-posted an opinion that was meant for their own personal account.”

“The posting in no way represents the opinion” of the police chief or the department, the statement continued.

Many people found the explanation outrageous.

“So what you are saying is that you have an officer on your force who believes Chauvin was correct in his actions, which is exactly part of the larger systemic issue of policing,” wrote one.

Added another: “You can’t build a relationship with a community when there are officers on the force with opinions like this.”

Fall River Police Chief Jeffrey Cardoza said he was “personally disappointed these attitudes exist.”

Police were investigating further and the officer may “possibly” face disciplinary action, reported Boston.com.

“The individual is genuinely remorseful,” added Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan. “He feels like he’s let a ton of people down, as he should.”

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