CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati public official was removed from his position after he used a racial slur during a recent board meeting.
It happened during a Cincinnati Citizens' Complaint Authority (CCA) meeting earlier in June.
The board was formed in 2003 as part of a collaborative agreement with the city. The board investigates complaints against Cincinnati police officers.
During the meeting, CCA board members and a CCA investigator discussed a complaint against two officers for excessive force. While the CCA exonerated the officers on those allegations, they did find that one officer used "improper procedure" when he cursed at a witness.
According to the CCA report, while officers were making an arrest, one told someone in the crowd, "he’s in the middle of being f——— arrested man, f—-.”
"While intended to convey frustration, it still was unprofessional, inappropriate for him to say that," said CCA investigator Joseph Vesper during the meeting.
Some CCA board members said they felt the language was unnecessary, but CCA board member Bill Burwinkel said he didn't.
That's when Burwinkel began to list off numerous examples of the f-word being used by prominent figures.
"In 2022, Joe Biden said to the mayor of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, 'no one f—— with Biden'," Burwinkel said.
Hear more of what Burwinkel said in the meeting and how the mayor responded in the video below:
Other board members tried to get Burwinkel to stop, but Burwinkel said he "wasn't done."
Shortly after, Burwinkel referenced an apparent case of someone playing a song by the rap group N.W.A. near Cincinnati police.
"I've never heard of them," Burwinkel said. "I did some research, N.W.A. is a big rap group. N.W.A. stands for N——— With an Attitude. And a stander by was playing their number one song 'F—- Tha Police."
Burwinkel said he wanted to show that the language used by the officer wasn't a big deal.
"This whole disrespect thing is outdated, overblown and a moot point," Burwinkel said.
Watch all of Burwinkel's comments in the video below:
However, some people, like Iris Roley, feel Burwinkel's comments were inappropriate.
"Mr. Burwinkel used the F-bomb 17 times, then he dropped the N-word with the hard '-er,'" Roley said.
Roley was at the meeting when the discussion occurred. She was giving public comment at the time, because she said she believes officers shouldn't cuss at citizens.
"Mr. Burwinkel was off base, he was wrong, he was unprofessional, insensitive," Roley said.
Members of the board are appointed by Mayor Aftab Pureval.
WCPO 9 News reached out to the mayor for comment, and we received this statement:
“I met with Mr. Burwinkel yesterday before making a final decision about his status on the board. His response was unsatisfying, and I’ve removed him. If a grown man needs an explanation for why using the n-word is inappropriate, he is uniquely unqualified for a public position.”
"I applaud the Mayor for getting rid of him, asking him to leave the board," Roley said.
Roley said she believes the role of the CCA is crucial in Cincinnati, and she said she hopes this situation doesn't damage the board's reputation.
“It’s unacceptable behavior by someone that age and on such an important board," Roley said.
WCPO 9 News made several attempts to reach Burwinkel for comment through email and phone calls, but we did not receive a response.
