Fired! Seattle Police Officer Made Remarks About Barack Obama And Illegal Aliens On Instagram

I have mixed feelings on this one.

Officer Duane Goodman of the Seattle Police Department made a couple of social media posts toward Barack Obama, that were questionable at best. When you are in a position of authority you can’t do certain things. Everybody should know this.

Leftist politicians have incited violence and confrontation against law enforcement and anyone who disagrees with them and they still have their jobs. Why aren’t they held to a higher standard?

He was stupid for violating policy. But the question begs to be asked: “don’t we ALL have First Amendment rights?”

I will say this even though I support law enforcement too. If you are a police officer or any other position of trust, you should truly consider not partaking in social media. Its a wreck looking for a time and place to happen. Just say no.

A Seattle police officer has been fired following an internal investigation that found he violated the department’s social media policy by posting profane and politically charged comments on Instagram.

The investigation was launched after an anonymous complainant contacted Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability and alleged that police Officer Duane Goodman had made numerous offensive social media posts that violated police department policy.

Seattle police Chief Carmen Best suggested in a written statement released Friday night that the officer’s conduct was inappropriate.

“For a police officer to encourage violence against public figures with whom they disagree is a betrayal of the values of our profession,” Best said in the statement.

According to Best, the U.S. Secret Service concluded that the social media posts were “far outside the acceptable bounds for a police officer, and potentially constituted criminal behavior.” [KOMO News]

It appears the Seattle authorities could not decide what to do and went to the Secret Service for advice. The Secret Service, made some comments, but those comments did not suggest termination or prosecution. So, the Chief was weak and looking for a little guidance from the Secret Service and did not get it. My mind is blown.

First and foremost, I believe the social media policy is a violation of his First Amendment rights. It was his personal account. But then again, this incident happened in Seattle.

Second, the mail bomb post was very stupid. It makes him sound unstable. He should be mentally evaluated and allowed due process under the law. He probably should not be a cop.

Goodman did admit to his mistake:

The officer was terminated after admitting that his statements on Instagram “negatively impacted the Department’s ability to serve the public, as well as that the postings were unprofessional,” according to a case summary posted this week on the Office of Police Accountability website.

The officer probably signed a contract when he was employed or there is some written code for police he signed. This is where he should have taken his fight. If the police officer felt it necessary to post on social media, he would have to fight it there first. Contracts in hiring are legit and this should have been followed when he agreed to do the job. The contract the officer signed is higher than free speech.

Too bad this “high standard” only applies to conservatives, Republicans, and independents. Let that be a Democrat and they make every excuse in the book. He made a mistake, poor judgment, free speech or whatever else they can come up with.

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