A controversial email led to the suspension of a Baltimore police lieutenant as an internal investigation gets underway. Police are calling it a personnel matter and would not discuss specifics, but said police Commissioner Kevin Davis is outraged and disappointed. In an email sent to the department's officers and staff, Lt. Victor Gearhart called protesters at the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police conference "thugs." He added, "On the bright side, maybe they will stop killing each other while they are protesting us."

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A controversial email led to the suspension of a Baltimore police lieutenant as an internal investigation gets underway.Police are calling it a personnel matter and would not discuss specifics, but said police Commissioner Kevin Davis is outraged and disappointed."It's an unfortunate situation that's certainly being taken seriously," said T.J. Smith, chief of media relations for the Baltimore Police Department.In an email sent to the department's officers and staff, Lt. Victor Gearhart called protesters at the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police conference "thugs." He added, "On the bright side, maybe they will stop killing each other while they are protesting us.""We're talking about one individual who made a decision to do something like that on a department email, and we're not involved in name-calling and we have to be better than that," Smith said. "This is still isolated to a few, and it's completely unfortunate. I'm exhausted talking about it. It's disheartening every time you want to move forward to make strides. It's hard to convey to citizens it's not representative of the whole."Gearhart is also a vice president of the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3. The email came from his departmental email account. He sent it less than a week after the U.S. Department of Justice released a disturbing report on Baltimore City police."No one wants to see anything like that. Your personal thoughts don't have a place in this profession when we have to treat everybody with respect and dignity," Smith said.Smith said the commissioner suspended Gearhart before receiving complaints from other officers."He saw it and thought it was outrageous when he saw it," Smith said.The commissioner has said he is working to change the culture of his department. Smith said the email doesn't help fix problems or build trust with the community."We're continuing to work. It's not something that will deter us from moving forward and working to change the culture where something like this seems acceptable, because it is not," Smith said. "Unfortunately, things like this serve as a distraction from opportunities to continue to improve community relationships."The 11 News I-Team tried contacting Gearhart, Baltimore FOP Lodge 3 President Gene Ryan and the state FOP, but could not get them to comment directly.The FOP tweeted a statement on Thursday that said, "The comments and demeanor of Victor Gearhart do not reflect the beliefs, or standards of our organization."Get the WBAL-TV News App