Message sent

McKeesport shows police bias won’t be tolerated

This week, McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko sent an unmistakable message to the good people of his town. By firing Officer Melissa Adamson for posting an inflammatory message on social media indicating a bias against African-Americans, Mr. Cherepko proved that McKeesport would not be the kind of town that tolerates racial intolerance on its police force.

Mr. Cherepko dismissed the probationary part-time officer when he saw the offensive social media image. Ms. Adamson’s post featured a selfie of her in uniform accompanied by the statement: “I’m the law today,” followed by a racial slur.

Instead of treating it as if it were just a temporary lapse of judgment by someone who has been an officer only for a few weeks, the mayor chose to deal with it swiftly before it became a lingering embarrassment that raised questions about the city’s management of racial bias among police officers.

On Facebook, the mayor explained his decision to fire Ms. Adamson in a much read and shared post: “This [Ms. Adamson’s post] displays a degree of conduct and character that is far different from what I would expect from an officer in this city. It is absolutely unacceptable.”

Mr. Cherepko did the right thing in firing Ms. Adamson. He did his city proud by setting an example other city officials can follow.