‘I’m the law today, n***a’: Pennsylvania cop fired over Snapchat selfie racial slur (PHOTO)
A Pennsylvania police officer has been fired after a Snapchat image of her dressed in full uniform and captioned with a racial slur came to the attention of her bosses.
The selfie, reportedly taken months ago, depicts an officer identified as Melissa Adamson wearing aviator sunglasses and the uniform of her then-employer, Pitcairn Police Department. It was uploaded to the popular image messaging app Snapchat with a caption that read: “I’m the law today, n***a.”
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Officer Adamson has now been relieved of her duties in McKeesport city following the scandal. She resigned from a similar part-time officer post in Versailles borough on Tuesday, report Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.
McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko publicly denounced the actions of the “recently hired part-time police officer” in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“This post displays a degree of conduct and character that is far different from what I would expect from an officer in this city,” he said.
“It is absolutely unacceptable. Without hesitation, my office and the police chief’s office immediately concluded that this officer’s actions will not be tolerated in the City of McKeesport… her employment has been terminated.”
In an interview with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, Adamson denied she was racist.
“I love my job. I love what I do. It’s what I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said.
“Everyone that knows me knows I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I don’t want this to affect how I do my job. I don’t want people to look at me differently, thinking that I can’t build myself up to the standard of a police officer. Again, it was a stupid mistake.”
Adamson’s former employer Pitcairn Police Department has also weighed in on the matter with a statement posted on social media.
“As the picture alone does not constitute misconduct, it is symbolic speech and protected under the first amendment. However, it is the content of the text in the picture which is unacceptable,” it read.
