Denver police officer fired for “Let’s start a riot” post

DENVER — A Denver police officer was fired Tuesday for posting a photo this weekend of himself and two other officers in tactical gear with the caption “Let’s start a riot” in the middle of demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd.

Officer Thomas McClay was terminated just a day after an internal affairs investigation was launched for violating the department’s social media policy, which bars officers from making posts that could impair the department’s “working relationships” or the performance of their duties.

McClay, who joined the department in October after graduating from the department’s academy, could not be immediately reached for comment. He did not have a listed telephone number and the Instagram account he posted on appeared to be deleted.

The move came as hundreds of people gathered for another round of protests near the state Capitol and the call for police reform shifted in part to proposed changes in the law.

Flanked by families of African American men who died in police custody or shootings in Colorado, State Rep. Leslie Herod and Senate Majority Leroy Garcia announced they were introducing a bill to remove police officers’ immunity from prosecution.

Meanwhile, the County Sheriffs of Colorado, the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police and the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police asked state lawmakers to make it a crime when officers fail to intervene in cases of excessive force.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3gPiEao