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The St. Paul, Minnesota, Police Department has put an officer on leave while it investigates allegations that he made a post on Facebook urging drivers to run over protesters who rallied against the police killings of two black men in the Twin Cities last year.
The social media message told people how to avoid being charged with a crime if they struck someone during the Martin Luther King Day march and rally Monday on a bridge linking St. Paul and Minneapolis.
“Andrew Henderson, who frequently videotapes officers at work because he says he wants them to be held accountable, noticed the comment from ‘JM Roth’ about 1 a.m. Saturday and immediately reported it to St. Paul police,” the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. “He filed an internal affairs complaint Sunday, naming Sgt. Jeffrey M. Rothecker.”
Here’s the full text of the Facebook post that Henderson spotted, along with a video Henderson took while reporting the post to the internal affairs department:
Run them over. Keep traffic flowing and don’t slow down for any of these idiots who try and block the street. Here is the deal, you continue to drive and if you hit someone make sure you call 911 to report the accident and meet the cops a block or two away and you can justify stopping further away because you feared for your safety since in the past people in this group has shown [sic] a propensity towards violence. Since they are trying to block the street and/or cross where there is no crossing you should not be charged with anything. Now, these idiots could try and sue you in civil court, but remember that it will be jury trial and so most likely it will come out in your favor.
Both the comment and the JM Roth account have since been deleted, the local independent weekly City Pages reported. “But Henderson, of cop-watching group Minnesota Cop Block, says JM Roth has often commented on the group’s Facebook page. Usually the barbs call their readers ‘idiots,’ say they couldn’t handle being cops, and question the size or existence of their testicles. But this was the first time he saw JM Roth preach violence. ‘When I saw that coming from a police officer, a person who is sworn to serve and protect people, it really struck a chord with me,’ Henderson says.”
Mayor Chris Coleman issued a statement saying he was “outraged and disgusted” and had directed officials to investigate. “There is no room in the St. Paul Police Department for employees who threaten members of the public. If the allegation is true, we will take the strongest possible action allowed under law.”
The St. Paul Police Department also released a statement saying an active investigation is underway.
We are aware of the concerns surrounding the comment posted on Facebook and are actively investigating. The statement is offensive, disappointing, concerning and does not reflect in any way—or align with—the views, values and practices of the Saint Paul Police Department.
The entire department, starting with Chief Thomas Smith, has worked tirelessly to develop partnerships throughout the community, and we have a long history of supporting individuals and groups who wish to express their opinions. There is no tolerance within the department for employees who insult, threaten or attempt to silence those exercising their First Amendment rights.
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