Wakulla County Sheriff Charlie Creel has now suspended five deputies following what he calls “insensitive” comments posted on Facebook about Ferguson, Missouri protestors.
Including his own number two—Undersheriff Trey Morrison—Creel has suspended Sergeant Eddie Wester, Detective Rick Buckley, and Detention Deputy Jeff Carroll.
Detective Richard Moon was already under suspension, after comments he made last week. In a Facebook post, he described Ferguson protestors as “cockroaches” and said he’s behind Officer Darren Wilson, who was recently not indicted by a grand jury for killing black teen Michael Brown.
Undersheriff Morrison posted several cartoons also expressing his feelings on the protestors, one depicting a black man with a gun to his head, saying “Back off or the community gets it.” The other suspended deputies posted comments, like #blamejameis as in Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.
Creel says while law enforcement have a right to post comments on social media, they must be “cognizant of the fact that what they say reflects on the agency they work for.”
Creel has appointed a committee to conduct its own internal investigation.
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