Sheriff looks to wrap Facebook probe soon
Corrections officer under scrutiny for post viewed as racist, discriminatory
KINGSTON, N.Y. » A month after a corrections officer at the Ulster County Jail put a post on his Facebook page that was decried as racist and discriminatory, Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum said he still is trying to determine whether the message violated his department’s social media policy.
VanBlarcum said in an email Thursday that he doesn’t expect the investigation to last “much longer.”
On Nov. 20, Charles “CJ” Polacco posted on his personal page: “This morning I went to sign my dogs up for welfare. At first the lady said, ‘Dogs are not eligible to draw welfare.’ So I explained to her that my dogs are mixed in color, unemployed, lazy, can’t speak English and have no freaking clue as to who their daddies are. They expect me to feed them, provide them with housing and medical care and feel guilty because they are dogs.
“So she looked in her policy book to see what it takes to qualify. My dogs get their first checks on Friday and can register as Democrats for the next election. Damn, this is a great country.”
The post is not original. It’s been making rounds on the internet since at least 2010.
The post drew the ire of County Executive Michael Hein, who said he was “repulsed and infuriated” by it. He called the post “racist and sexist.”
“[T]his particular post was so
offensive and repugnant to a civilized society that it cannot go unchecked, and accordingly, I trust the sheriff’s ongoing internal investigation concludes with the most severe disciplinary actions possible,” Hein said.
County Legislature Chairman Ken Ronk called the post “disappointing” and suggested Polacco apologize for “a lapse of judgment.”
“We’ve come too far in this world with public discourse and civility,” said Ronk, R-Wallkill. “Posts like that don’t belong anywhere in our modern world.”
Attempts by the Freeman to reach Polacco have been unsuccessful.
Asked about the post after it first appeared, VanBlarcum said he hadn’t seen it, but would investigate to determine whether it violated his office’s social media policy, which states in part: “As members of the Sheriff’s Office, employees are embodiments of its mission” and should “strive to maintain the public trust,” both on and off duty.
The policy also states the online activities of Sheriff’s Office employees should reflect the higher expectations and standards to which police personnel are held.