Sterling Heights cop on unpaid leave after racist Facebook post exposed

A Sterling Heights police officer has been placed on unpaid administrative leave following the discovery of a racist post on his private Facebook page.

The post shows former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, below the words, “when you gotta change a tire but dont wanna get your trousers dirty.”

Chauvin, who is white, is headed to trial next month on a murder charge for the May 25 death of Floyd, a Black man.

WXYZ-TV exposed the Facebook post on Wednesday, prompting the Sterling Height Police Department to place the unidentified officer on leave pending an internal investigation.

Police Chief Dale Dwojakowski said the officer faces possible termination once the investigation is wrapped up.

“If we’re not policing our own guys, I don’t blame any resident for not trusting a police officer when they get pulled over or arrested,” Dwojakowski told WXYZ.

“As a police officer when you post something it carries tremendous weight,” he added. “That’s why we have a policy that says you can’t post anything inflammatory against a religion, race, gender. Nothing like that. It’s all prohibited.”

On its Facebook page, city of Sterling Heights said it “disavows the abhorrent imagery and messaging that appears in the post.”

“The Police Department is committed to completing the investigation and disciplinary process as quickly as possible,” the post stated. “It must be clear that there is no place for hateful and offensive content like that within our community.”

In nearby Shelby Township, police Chief Robert Shelide was suspended but ultimately kept his job for tweets that advocated police brutality against Black Lives Matter protesters.

Stay on top of Detroit news and views. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday.