CINCINNATI — A white police officer is under investigation by the Cincinnati Police Department after that officer allegedly made a racist comment to a Black officer while on duty.
According to a statement from the Cincinnati NAACP, earlier in the week a Black officer previously assigned to desk tasks was allowed to resume patrols.
"So the master let you back in the field today," said a white officer, according to the NAACP.
Cincinnati NAACP said it demands accountability for the officer who made the comment, calling on CPD leaders to discipline him.
"When I first heard that my mouth hit the floor, like, hold on, say that one more time," said NAACP Cincinnati President Joe Mallory.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge wrote in a statement she is aware of the allegations.
"Immediately when this allegation was brought to my attention, I ordered an investigation be conducted by our Internal Investigations Section," reads Theetge's statement.
The officer accused of making the comment has been placed on desk duty while the investigation is still ongoing, Theetge said.
Cincinnati NAACP called the alleged comment "insensitive, hurtful and racist," later adding the language used was "abhorrent and unacceptable." NAACP said the comment is proof that ongoing racial sensitivity education is required within the department.
"We have to stamp that culture out," Mallory said. "It can't be performative. It has to be intentional, and we have to do a deeper dive training because it happens over and over and over again."
Dan Hils, president of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police, said the officer accused of making the statement was trying to make a joke about the two officers' shared boss, not a joke "about the serious topic of slavery."
Hils said the statement made was "I see the master has you back in the field with us."
Shortly after the comment was made, Hils said the accused officer sought out the Black officer "to assure his colleague he meant no offense for his hastily chosen words."
"Looking back now, he regrets it very much," Hils said in an interview.
Mallory pushed back on the indication the phrase was a harmless joke.
"I didn't find a damn thing funny about it," he said. "When you make these kinds of comments, it takes you back to a not-so-distant past when you have the Jim Crow era and people who are still alive today who have experienced and lived through that trauma."
The Sentinel Police Association, a group that works to address 'issues of racism, promotions and disciplinary actions pertaining to Cincinnati African-American officers" according to their Facebook page, called the comment a "verbal slap" that made its way through the department.
"Words and actions matter when it comes to improving cultural perceptions of patterns and practices of racial insensitivity within the walls of CPD," reads a statement from Danita Pettis, president of the Sentinal Police Association. "As such, the Sentinel's position is that nothing short of a complete and thorough investigation of this latest incident, followed by immediate and appropriate disciplinary action will truly reflect CPD's commitment to an improved culture."
WCPO is not naming the accused officer pending the outcome of the investigation.
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