A Kotzebue Police sergeant resigned this month after an investigation into an inflammatory racial comment he posted on social media, according to city officials. The incident came to light on April 30 when an investigator from the Spartanburg Police Department in South Carolina alerted Kotzebue police and city officials about the post, which contained a derogatory remark targeting a community of color, city officials stated on Friday.
City officials announced Tuesday that they cannot disclose the name of the sergeant involved. However, David “Mike” Cox identified himself as the officer who resigned from the Kotzebue Police Department. According to KOTZ News, Cox used a variation of the N-word to refer to two Black suspects in a South Carolina murder case.
KOTZ reported that it obtained a screenshot from the Spartanburg Police Department showing Cox’s comment on an April 29 Facebook post by the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. The comment has since been deleted, but other screenshots of Cox’s remarks have been circulating among Kotzebue residents on social media.
City officials confirmed Tuesday that their investigation focused on the comment in the screenshot. According to the City of Kotzebue, Police Chief Roger Rouse, Lt. Norman Hughes, and Kotzebue Regional Jail Superintendent Christopher Cook arranged a call with the sergeant to discuss the post. The department initiated an investigation on April 30 and placed the sergeant on administrative leave, Rouse stated on Tuesday.
“The sergeant’s posts do not represent the values of our department or our commitment to serving every community member with fairness and respect,” Rouse said in a statement. “We take issues of bias and prejudice very seriously and will continue to ensure our actions and policies uphold our dedication to equality and justice.”
According to the city’s statement, the police department informed the sergeant that they would recommend his termination to City Manager Tessa Baldwin. Per the city employee handbook, the sergeant had five business days to respond to this recommendation. City officials stated that the sergeant chose to resign on May 22 during the appeal stage of the disciplinary process.
“I chose to resign after receiving the termination recommendation, having defended myself throughout the entire process,” Cox stated on Tuesday. He mentioned his intention to address the matter later in the week, once he has recuperated from hand and wrist surgery.
City officials announced that the Kotzebue Police Sergeant intends to reassess its social media policies and training to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. “We are committed to learning from this event and enhancing our procedures to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and community confidence,” remarked Rouse.
