Lexington officers suspended for sharing altered photo of female cop with ‘phallic symbol’
Two Lexington police officers have received one day suspensions for altering an awards ceremony photo to make it appear a female officer was being handed a phallic object instead of an award, according to documents obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Officers Joseph Williams and Benjamin Starkey were each suspended for one day for forwarding the photo taken in December of a female officer receiving an award from Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers.
Instead of a trophy, the photo had been altered to look like the female officer, whose name was redacted from the records, was receiving a “purple phallic symbol,” according to records the newspaper received through an Open Records Act request.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council approved the one-day suspension at a June 23 meeting.
According to documents related to the incident, Starkey circulated a photo to other officers that included a department employee that “was unprofessional and demeaning to that employee. The image was a large phallic symbol superimposed over a trophy.”
The incident was first reported to the city’s human resources department who found that Starkey, Williams and a third officer, Adam Ray, had forwarded the altered photo.
The police department’s public integrity unit, its internal affairs department, then investigated the complaint and interviewed the three men.
Officer Starkey told PIU investigators that Ray texted him the altered photo of the officer while he was on duty. Starkey started laughing. Williams, who was nearby, asked Starkey what he was laughing at. Starkey showed him the photo and forwarded it to Williams at Williams’ request.
Williams was friends with the female officer. He sent it to her, “thinking she would think it was funny,” according to the documents. At first the female officer, responded with “Lol.” Several hours later, the female officer told Williams to erase the photo as she did not think it was funny.
The female officer told PIU investigators that when Williams sent her the photo she didn’t look at it closely, thinking it was a photo of the awards ceremony. It was only later when she looked at the photo closely that she saw it was altered. That’s when she told Williams to delete the photo.
Lexington police leadership also heard about the photo shortly after it was circulated.
According to PIU documents, Lt. Darin Salyer sent a memo to officers saying there was an inappropriate photo being circulated. Anyone who had it should erase it immediately, Salyer’s memo said.
Salyer filed the formal complaint with public integrity, documents show.
Starkey told PIU investigators he erased it.
“He also advised his intentions were never to offend anyone and it bothered him that he played a part in something that did,” according to public integrity unit documents.
Williams also told officers he did not intend to cause harm.
“His intentions were never to offend anyone, only to show her something he thought she would think was funny and to advise her other people may have the photo,” according to police documents.
Ray admitted to investigators he altered the photo and sent it. He originally lied to human resources employees and told them he had not altered the photo. Ray also expressed remorse to PIU investigators and said he did not mean to offend anyone.
Ray retired on a disability pension on June 8, according to Sgt. Guy Miller of the Lexington Police Department, so he was not disciplined on June 23 with Williams and Starkey.
Miller said Williams and Starkey were not available for comment.
Miller said it was city policy to have the city’s human resources department investigate harassment complaints prior to those complaints being sent to the public integrity unit, which investigates police misconduct.
Starkey and Williams were found to be in violation of department policies that govern police conduct toward the public and other officers. Part of those guidelines include: “No officer should use blogs, social networking sites, or other internet communication devices to harass another employee.”
This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 11:50 AM.
