The University of Maryland Police Department terminated a member of its Police Auxiliary after he shared a provocative meme on Facebook, according to a statement from the department.
Police were made aware of this incident via a series of screenshots on Twitter on July 9, which show the former employee sharing a meme that implies black neighborhoods would fall apart without the presence of police.
“If we really wanted you dead all we’d have to do is stop patrolling your neighborhoods … and wait,” said the meme, which depicted a police officer.
The police auxiliary employee quoted the post with the comment: “Basically.”
Here is the full statement from University Police regarding the incident:
“We were notified of the incident on early Sunday morning via our Twitter page. Notification was made to the appropriate personnel to look further into the matter. The individual was immediately relieved of their duties and is no longer employed at the University of Maryland Police Department.”
