A California police department fired an officer who was a former Proud Boy. He says it’s unfair and he never saw any ‘kind of racism’ while he was affiliated with them – By Sarah Al-Arshani (Business Insider) / April 13 2021
- The Fresno Police Department fired an officer after learning he was affiliated with the Proud Boys.
- Rick Fitzgerald told Insider that he was never interviewed as part of the investigation.
- He said he left the group in November but never saw any “racism” when he first joined.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
A California police department fired an officer from within its ranks because it was revealed he had been affiliated with the Proud Boys.
In a statement, Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said officer Rick Fitzgerald was fired on Friday after an internal affairs investigation was launched last month when they became aware of online images and videos that showed Fitzgerald rallying with the Proud Boys at a November pro-Trump demonstration that turned violent.
“Such ideology, behavior, and affiliations have no place in law enforcement and will not be tolerated within the ranks of the Fresno Police Department,” Balderrama said in the statement. “Public trust and accountability are paramount in our ability to fairly police this community.”
Fitzgerald told Insider he joined the group because he agreed with their tenets.
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