USF cites racist Twitter bio in firing

University police officer removed

TAMPA — A university police officer in Florida whose Twitter bio described herself as a “KKK member” has been fired, officials said.

Former University of South Florida officer Presley Garcia, 26, said her friend added the description in 2015 and she had not used the account for years. She said she is not a racist and condemns racism and the KKK.

The investigation into Garcia began in July after a BayNews 9 reporter contacted the USF police department with screenshots of the Twitter account “(at) presleyyyg,” which read “KKK member.” The account has since been deleted.

Garcia, who was hired in 2018, told the Tampa Bay Times she felt let down by the agency after her firing last week.

“There’s all the talk of B`ack the Blue,’ but not one person had my back,” she said.

In

his

letter recommending her firing, USF Police Chief Chris Daniel said Garcia’s actions could bring harm to other officers.

“This concern is of particular importance given the activities occurring on a local and national level. Since the incident involving George Floyd, dissident members of the community have targeted law enforcement officers, their departments, their families and their home,” Daniel wrote. Floyd died in May after a white Minneapolis pressed his knee against the Black man’s neck for nearly eight minutes as he pleaded for air.

The chief said USF officers have experienced having their doors kicked, vehicles photographed in their driveways and been followed to work while being “antagonized on the roadway.”

Garcia admitted the Twitter account was hers, but told investigators a friend added the phrase to her bio in 2015, the newspaper reported. She said she was young and didn’t know what it meant.

She said she had deleted the app on her phone and thought the account was also deleted.