Central Kentucky deputy suspended over ‘degrading’ online video. Others defend him.
A Jessamine County deputy was suspended Wednesday during an internal investigation into an offensive online video in which the deputy appeared, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Facebook post from the office of Jessamine County Sheriff Kevin Corman said the office “is committed to treating everyone with respect and dignity regardless of their race, gender, sexuality or social class.” Corman did not name the deputy or describe the video.
The deputy was ordered Tuesday night to take down the online video.
The video that provoked some anger online was a Tik Tok clip, called a parody, that showed a deputy in uniform and another man using so-called “magic croc” shoes to “demean” gay men. However, many online commenters defended the deputy they knew or supported his right to post what he wants on his own pages. They questioned the harm in the video.
“This is ridiculous,” wrote Erica Mills Lee. “He should not lose his job over a funny skit. It was intended to be comedy. Why are y’all taking this so serious? Ppl just look for things to be offended by these days. This isn’t worth an officer losing his job. Or even losing pay permanently.”
Others praised the sheriff’s office for taking quick action.
“Horribly offensive video,” said Kim Curtsinger on Facebook. “Totally support the decision to suspend.”
“Respect this action the sheriff has taken,” said Mary Goldey.
The video also was posted to the deputy’s Facebook page, according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office said Tuesday night that Corman’s office strives to provide services “free of discrimination” and services that “reflect equality.”
The sheriff apologized Tuesday night, saying, “the behavior in question will be addressed and additional training will be provided.”
“Earlier this evening, a deputy sheriff employed by this department posted a video to their personal Facebook page that had content that is degrading and demeaning. As the sheriff of Jessamine County, I would like to assure you this type of behavior is not condoned and will not be tolerated by this office,” the post stated.
“As part of our policy regarding social media usage, I immediately ordered the deputy to remove the post, and the content was removed from his page. The behavior in question will be addressed, and additional training will be provided to insure no future incidents like these occur. Please accept my sincere apology for the unprofessional and derogatory content of the deputy’s post.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 7:27 AM.
