Cop Fired For Anti-Black Lives Matter Post On Parler

Pacific Grove, CA – The Pacific Grove police chief announced on Wednesday that the officer who was under investigation for an anti-Black Lives Matter post on Parler had been fired from the police department.

“Unfortunately, I am unable to disclose or comment any further due to legal constraints,” Pacific Grove Police Chief Cathy Madalone said statement released on video on Jan. 13.

“I understand you would like to have more details, and I would like to provide them to you, but based on the law, I am prohibited from commenting any further on this personnel matter,” he said.

Chief Madalone had announced in November that a member of her police force had been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into complaints about his social media posts, KTVU reported.

The post, which was reported to the department, appeared to have been posted by a Pacific Grove officer on the social media platform Parler and read “F—k Black Lives Matter.”

She did not reveal the officer’s name, citing legal constraints on personnel matters, but The Mercury News reported that the same officer had been investigated in the spring of 2020 after someone complained that the had offensive bumper stickers on his pickup truck.

The now-former officer has only been identified as “not a white male,” according to KION. The city’s statement indicates that the officer is male.

“This is the same officer that had the controversial decals affixed to his vehicle that were reported to the city back in May of 2020,” the city acknowledged in November press release. “Unfortunately, the findings of that investigation were part of a personnel matter, therefore disclosure of the details of the investigation are prohibited by law.”

One of the stickers said “Liberty, Guns, Beer, Trump” and the officer was accused of mocked the LGBT movement. Others were offended by the officer’s Punisher skull decal.

Another decal referenced “Three Percenters.”

“The Officer placed the ‘Three Percenter’ decal on the vehicle with a sincere belief and understanding that the Three Percenter organization supports the United States Constitution- especially the Second Amendment,” the agency said at the time, according to KION.

“Three Percenters” is an ideology, not an organization.

“The term ‘Three Percenter’ comes from a story that only three-percent of the population fought in the Revolutionary War, and thanks to those patriots, liberty was achieved for everybody,” Police Tribune Editor-in-Chief Christopher Berg has explained. “What connects Three Percenters is an anti-authoritarian belief system, which often treads into anti-government extremism.”

Chief Madalone initiated an investigation into the officer’s bumper stickers but he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

She said in her statement that the officer in question was no longer employed “in any capacity” by the Pacific Grove Police Department, KTVU reported.

“We serve this community with the utmost professionalism,” the police chief said. “We protect life, prevent crime, and provide support services with understanding, compassion, and integrity. We will continue to serve this community and provide professional police services while respecting the rights and dignity of all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other factor.”

Chief Madalone defended her department’s hiring practices, KTVU reported.

Pacific Grove PD “conducts very robust and comprehensive background investigations. Since I arrived in 2019, the police department has included review of social media accounts for all applicants within the police department,” the chief said.

She also said her police force was “in full compliance with California training requirements. In addition to perishable skills and continued professional training, members of the department attend advanced training on all aspects of law enforcement,” according to KTVU.

Chief Madalone said efforts were ongoing and that Pacific Grove police officers had taken training courses on such topics as ethical decision making, bias and racial profiling, de-escalation techniques, exploring racism and living the solution, law enforcement and the transgender community, LGBT Community awareness for law enforcement, social media and law enforcement, mental health training, and tactical communications.