Police officer fired for rebel flag attire posted on FB

[LittleLebowski]

LE, lock your FB down.

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/294118...nd-on-facebook

A North Charleston police officer who posted a photo of himself wearing Confederate Flag boxer shorts to Facebook has been fired.

The photo spread across the Internet on Thursday after the post had been online for a few days.

Police Chief Eddie Driggers issues a termination letter to the officer, Sgt. Shannon Dildine, saying the photo undermines the officer's "ability to improve trust and instill confidence when working with our citizens."

"Your posting in this manner led to you being publicly identified as a North Charleston Police officer and associated both you and the Department with an image that symbolizes hate and oppression to a significant portion of the citizens we are sworn to serve," Driggers wrote.

Dildine has ten days to appeal the decision.

[41magfan]

I had no idea things would change this quickly, but I made the statement about 25 years ago that America would one day gag on its political correctness.

When we start letting folks arbitrarily decide what something means to us as individuals, we're on certain path to the abrogation of free speech. Along with that we are eyewitnesses to tolerance being perverted into the most dangerous form of intolerance.

God help us, as it's pretty obvious we don't have the will or the wherewithal to help ourselves.

[JV_]

LE, lock your FB down.

Not only should posts not be "public", and restricted to just friends, people need to be cautious about who they choose to "friend". Anyone that straddles work and non work worlds, should be chosen carefully.

For the most part:

Work = LinkedIn
Not Work = FB

[Hambo]

If you're a cop and you let people know that on FB you're an idiot. Unless he posts pics of himself in boxers all the time, which would make me wonder about him anyway, the flag shorts were his way of flipping off whoever. Mission successful, and now he learns a lesson about being a public employee. Where I worked, anybody who knew you worked for the city would call bosses over off duty behavior. That's life in public employment.

As to the flag itself, the one they fly isn't the SC confederate state flag, so it's got more to do with making a point than history.

[BehindBlueI's]

I don't have FB to lock down. Much simpler.

Yet another reason to not police somewhere without a union. Getting fired and losing your pension over such a ridiculous triviality...

[LittleLebowski]

Yet another reason to not police somewhere without a union. Getting fired and losing your pension over such a ridiculous triviality...

I'm normally not a fan of unions but I can absolutely see why LE need them.

[LSP552]

LE is one of those jobs where policy generally allows some regulation into your off-duty time. Many agencies have policies against bringing discredit to the agency and they have been generally upheld. The misconduct doesn't have to be criminal to loose your job or get suspended, etc.

Anyone posting on FB or social media things they don't want made public is less than bright. So is anyone who thinks that their Chief or Superintendent isn't politically influenced.

[Nephrology]

From the day I decide to apply to medical school I basically committed to not putting anything even remotely controversial online with my name attached to it. My facebook has nothing but a few pictures of me and I will occasionally share entirely wholesome and unobjectionable content. Honestly, it keeps my life simple.

[WDW]

I can't see this being upheld. If I was that officer I would sue the proverbial f*** out of that department. The Confederate Flag is not illegal & is present on state flags & license plates for goodness sakes.

[joshs]

I can't see this being upheld. If I was that officer I would sue the proverbial f*** out of that department. The Confederate Flag is not illegal & is present on state flags & license plates for goodness sakes.

I'm guessing his employer forgot that it is a public entity subject to the 1A.