CPD fires officer accused of using racial slur during weekend altercation
The Columbia Police Deaprtment says officers actions deemed as 'Unsatisfactory Performance'
Columbia Police Foundation
@ColumbiaPDFSC
Columbia Police Foundation @ColumbiaPDFSC
Columbia, SC (WOLO) — The Columbia Police department has fired a longtime officer after he was caught on camera using a racial slur during a verbal altercation in Five Points over the weekend.
CPD says their Disciplinary Review Board met Monday afternoon to hear more about the investigation where authorities say Sergeant Chad Walker used a racial slur during a heated exchange with customers outside a Five Points business on August 29.
According to CPD, the Board reviewed the investigative findings given to them by the officer’s chain of command which included a review of video. After hearing the findings, the Board agreed unanimously sustained violations of Unsatisfactory Performance.
The Department says they have taken into consideration the degree of harm caused by the violation(s), the employee’s experience, intentional/unintentional errors, and the employee’s past record.
CPD says as a result of the investigation, and board review, ‘Sgt. Walker has been terminated, effective immediately’.
Columbia Police Chief W.H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook released a statement concerning the decision saying,
“We will continue to hold each other to the professional, ethical, and moral standards expected by our citizens and place the highest priority on maintaining public trust. As I’ve stated before, when setbacks occur and mistakes are made, we must be willing to acknowledge them, fix them, learn from them, and continue to move forward together.”
