BOSTON (AP) — A Boston police officer who made a video with the tagline “black people have met their match” has been suspended without pay for six months.
Officer Joseph DeAngelo Jr., 28, also has been ordered to participate in sensitivity and unconscious-bias training, meet with community leaders and perform community service.
In the cellphone video, which was shot like a movie trailer, the tagline ran over an image of black women.
Police Commissioner William Evans says DeAngelo told investigators that the video was intended to be a spoof on another officer. Police later determined the other officer was unaware he was in it.
The video was not posted to social media but was forwarded to some of DeAngelo’s childhood friends. A local television station got a hold of the video and aired it. An officer alerted the department of the video on June 8.
In an open letter, DeAngelo, a four-year veteran of the department assigned to a largely minority neighborhood, apologized for his actions and said he regrets the embarrassment the video has caused the department.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)