Detroit's Craig excoriates Shelby Township police chief, says he should be fired for inflammatory posts
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said he's not just disturbed, but angry over inflammatory social media posts made by the Shelby Township police chief.
Speaking to FOX 2 Thursday evening, Craig believes the Chefe Robert Shelide should be fired tweets that many say glorify police brutality.
"There is that whole adage of tone set from the top, so if this how he feels, how does the men and women in his department feel?" Craig asked
"If he can just publically and blatantly make statements like that, he is a disappointment to myself and all of my colleagues across this country that wears the badge of chief of police."
On June 4, Shelide made multiple posts from his personal Twitter account stating in one he wanted to "Unleash real cops and let them take care of these barbarians." In another post, the chief called a group of protesters "wild savages. I wish to God I would have been there. Body Bags for these vicious subhumans."
Shelide was adding commentary to the mass protests that have unfolded over the last two weeks in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. After a former photojournalist took screenshots of the posts and put them online, the public backlash against the police chief was swift.
The police department placed Shelide on administrative leave as it investigates the incident. The chief did issue a written apology after the posts found their way back to him and promised to cooperate with the investigation.
"While an apology is insufficient and an insult to the gravity of my comments I humbly and respectfully ask for the courtesy of forgiveness to those I have offended - to my department and more importantly to those I am sworn to serve. My record speaks to the commitment and professionalism that I have exhibited for more than 30 years without incident, both of which were compromised by my emotion. During my administrative leave issued by the department, I will fully cooperate with the investigation, and seek the support and counsel necessary to ensure that my behavior and comments going forward more accurately reflect my character and person."
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It's unclear when the investigation will wrap up. There are recent cases of police chiefs, officers, and corrections officials being fired over improper actions amid the protests that have descended on cities around the country. First, there were the four officers part of the Minneapolis Police Department that were involved in Floyd's death. Officers that pulled two college students from their car have been dismissed. A New Jersey jail worker was fired after photos appeared to show him mocking the death of Floyd.
The police chief in Louisville was also dismissed after an officer-involved shooting took place and none of the deputies had their body cameras turned on.