Brevard County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant suspended for controversial Facebook posts
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Brevard County Sheriff’s Lt. Bert Gamin has been suspended with pay after some inappropriate Facebook comments drew criticism from the community and were condemned by law enforcement.
The comments were made on the Brevard County FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) Facebook page.
The "Buffalo 57" and "Atlanta 6" are law enforcement officers who are at odds with their departments over alleged excessive force at recent civil rights demonstrations.
The message read, "Hey Buffalo 57 and Atlanta 6 ... we are hiring in Florida ...lower taxes, no spineless leadership or dumb mayors rambling on at press conferences... plus we got your back.... law and order in Florida ... move to where are you are loved."
RELATED: President of Brevard Fraternal Order of Police chapter apologizes for inappropriate comments
Sheriff Wayne Ivey made the announcement about Gamin's suspension on Tuesday and said there is an internal investigation underway.
FOX 35 News received a half dozen statements on Monday condemning the recruitment comment.
The Melbourne Police Department, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivy, The Brevard County Democrats, County Commissioner Bryan Lober all say the Facebook post is offensive.
Sometime on Monday, the post was deleted, but now, some are calling for there to be consequences for Gamin, who is a lieutenant with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
Lt. Gamin sent FOX 35 a message responding to the story, apologizing for his comments, saying that it came from a place of frustration and that he regrets publishing it.
In his own words he wrote:
"This weekend I made a posting on social media which was in poor taste and did not reflect the sentiment that I was trying to convey. For that, I humbly apologize to all of you. I would especially like to apologize to all the men and women in law enforcement across the country who report to work every day and conduct themselves like the true professionals that they are. Their job is hard enough already and I'm afraid my actions just made it that much harder. I have been a proud member of law enforcement for over 28 years and have spent my entire law enforcement career advocating for and supporting good cops who serve our communities with pride and professionalism every single day. In my recent FB post, I let my emotions and frustration with all the negative media portrayals of law enforcement get the better of me. My intent was to rebut some of the negative messaging and offer a supportive message to all the men and women in law enforcement, clearly I failed. I offer this to you not as an excuse, but simply as an insight to my thoughts. I admit that my post was insensitive and wrong and that it did not convey the actual thought that I was trying to communicate. I am solely responsible for the content of my post which does not reflect the values that I truly believe in and adhere to. It also does not reflect the values of my employer or of any other law enforcement agency. Good cops do great work every day. I deeply regret the my original post and sincerely apologize to all who have been negatively affected by it."
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