No Consequences For LAPD Sgt Who Sent George Floyd Valentine Meme

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles Police Department officer accused of distributing a Valentine's Day-themed meme mocking the murder of George Floyd will not face disciplinary action thanks to a ruling by the department's administrative trial board.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore had referred the matter to the administrative trial board, essentially calling for the unnamed sergeant to be fired. Instead, the board cleared the officer of wrongdoing, his attorney said Tuesday.

The administrative board known as the Board of Rights is comprised of three hearing officers, according to Leslie Wilcox, the sergeant's attorney.

The LAPD issued the following statement to NBC4: "The department respects the disciplinary process and will direct employees to a board of rights where it is believed that termination is the appropriate penalty."

Moore told the Police Commission on May 18 that the recommendation essentially meant the sergeant was recommended to be fired. At the time he called the image disgusting.
The officer was accused of sharing involved a Valentime image of Floyd with the words "You take my breath away."

It was immediately repudiated by the police union, the Floyd family attorney and various city leaders.

Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, and the officer, Derrick Chauvin sentenced to prison for his murder.

Moore had told commissioners that the employee allegedly received the post from outside the LAPD and forwarded it to another member of the department. The employee who received the post reported the accused sergeant.

The officer's attorney claims he was merely reporting the offensive image to a superior rather than disseminating it.

"The Board of Rights panel was absolutely correct in exonerating the officer based on the evidence of this case," the officer's attorney, Leslie Wilcox, told City News Service in a statement Tuesday. "The officer found the meme offensive, he did not create the meme, nor did he distribute it beyond notifying a commanding officer of its existence. Both the commanding officer who received the officer's communication, as well as the assistant chief who oversaw the investigation, agreed that the officer's single notification of a commanding officer was in no way improper."

The department became aware of the photo on Feb. 12, two days before Valentine's Day, because a group of officers saw it and were "disgusted" by the post, Moore said. The department inspected all stations for any evidence of the image and worked to identify anyone who was involved in the creation or distribution of the image, which was posted on the Blue Line Mafia Instagram page. The page has since been taken down.

In February, while discussing the post, Moore told commissioners that some in the LAPD have "extremist" views.

"We must acknowledge that some portion within our profession and by extension within this department has explicit bias and extremist views," he said. "This is a similar conclusion that the Department of Defense has reached with its forces as it comes to terms with the members of its own armed forces being inside the Capitol this past January."

Moore added that he believed the vast majority of the department's personnel serve Los Angeles with "honor, integrity and compassion."

The LAPD's union in February expressed outrage at the post. It did not immediately provide a statement on the not-guilty verdict.

"The Los Angeles Police Protective League repudiates this abhorrent image and anyone associated with its creation, dissemination, or passive observation of it," the union said in February.

"If that image was created, `liked,' or shared by a member of the LAPD, the chief of police must act swiftly to hold those individuals accountable," the union's statement continued. "There must be zero tolerance for this behavior in our profession, and any police officer who feels the need to be part of any online group that engages in, promotes, and/or celebrates this type of activity should quickly rethink their career choice because they clearly don't have the judgment, nor temperament, to be a member of law enforcement."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report