Darrell Clem

hometownlife.com

A Canton police officer accused of posting a racist message on Facebook has resigned from the department.

Public Safety Director Joshua Meier confirmed that the officer, after one year on the job, resigned abruptly Monday before an internal investigation was completed.

"This was the officer's decision and not anybody else's," Meier said. "We were in the middle of the internal investigation when the officer resigned."

The officer's decision halted the internal investigation and averted a due process hearing that would have determined his fate. He was suspended with pay Nov. 11, the same day Canton Public Safety Department officials issued a statement referencing "a racist social media post" the officer allegedly made during a live feed on Facebook of a presidential election protest.

The officer, allegedly referring to African Americans, posted the words "go home monkeys." The incident drew attention to a police department where officials say they have worked diligently to develop strong relations with all segments of the community.

"I think the important message to get out is that this incident is not reflective of the entire Canton Public Safety Department and we are going to pick up the pieces and move forward in a positive direction, working with the community as we always have," Meier said, adding that Canton officers "are held to the highest standards" in law enforcement.

"This was an isolated incident that we dealt with accordingly," he said. "It's a very unfortunate incident for everybody involved."

Meier said the police department will remain transparent going forward. Police officials issued a statement about the officer's Facebook post on the same day they learned of it.

Police Deputy Director Chad Baugh had warned that "behavior like this will not be tolerated" and said, "As a complete department, we are incredibly disappointed" by the incident.

Canton's top government official, Supervisor Phil LaJoy, has said the incident "is not reflective of the department" and called the situation "sad."

Baugh said the department has policies pertaining to social media and appropriate use of it by police officers.

Local officials haven't disclosed the officer's name, though some media outlets have reported it. Baugh called it "a safety issue."

dclem@hometownlife.com

Twitter: @CantonObserver

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