A western Pennsylvania police officer who was fired for a social media post that included a racial slur is apologizing.
Melissa Adamson tells WTAE-TV she's not a racist and is sorry to everyone she offended. She says it was a "stupid mistake."
She's referring to a post that appeared Tuesday afternoon on social media that showed the now-former part-time McKeesport officer in uniform with a caption reading "I'm the law today" and ending with the derogatory term for blacks.
She says someone trying to "ruin her career" posted the photo.
The photo was apparently taken while she worked at the nearby Pitcairn police department. She says she left that job to take the McKeesport position on Sept. 20.
McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said Adamson was fired for showing "absolutely unacceptable" conduct.[[395317151, C]]
The Pitcairn Police Department also responded to the post, in which Adamson appears to be wearing a Pitcairn police uniform. According to the department’s Facebook post, she is a former officer in the Pitcairn police force.
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Pitcairn Police Chief Scott Farally told Channel 11 News on Wednesday that Adamson apologized to him Tuesday night, admitting that she was on duty when she took the selfie.
“To my knowledge, it was taken while she was on duty inside one of the patrol cars,” Farally said. “I am actually saddened on that. We have more integrity than that in this department.”
