Post by Logan on Jan 30, 2016 1:11:26 GMT -6
NEWARK — A veteran police lieutenant fired in October for seemingly comparing the city's mayor to a gorilla testified in a hearing that the remarks were misinterpreted by investigators.
"Lt. [Anthony] Caruso testified truthfully as to the post that was made. It was never intended to be disparaging in any way as to race or to be derogatory to the mayor," Caruso's lawyer, Anthony Iacullo of Nutley, told NJ Advance Media Friday.
The Newark Police Department's professional standards bureau launched an investigation after the department received screenshots of an exchange on Caruso's Facebook wall in July. The screenshots show a picture of a gorilla posted by a retired Newark officer captioned with the question," .....How's your mayor?" Mayor Ras Baraka is African-American.
A subsequent reply by Caruso reads "Exactly!!!!"
Following the investigation, Caruso was terminated in October and filed an appeal a few days later.
Read more: www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/01/newark_cop_denies_facebook_post_that_got_him_fired.html
"Lt. [Anthony] Caruso testified truthfully as to the post that was made. It was never intended to be disparaging in any way as to race or to be derogatory to the mayor," Caruso's lawyer, Anthony Iacullo of Nutley, told NJ Advance Media Friday.
The Newark Police Department's professional standards bureau launched an investigation after the department received screenshots of an exchange on Caruso's Facebook wall in July. The screenshots show a picture of a gorilla posted by a retired Newark officer captioned with the question," .....How's your mayor?" Mayor Ras Baraka is African-American.
A subsequent reply by Caruso reads "Exactly!!!!"
Following the investigation, Caruso was terminated in October and filed an appeal a few days later.
Read more: www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/01/newark_cop_denies_facebook_post_that_got_him_fired.html