Two cops investigated over social media posts
Two more South Florida law enforcement officers are facing investigations over controversial social media remarks amid heightened scrutiny across the nation of police misconduct.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office on Thursday said it will investigate whether a 24-year veteran of the force made online comments about slavery and people in subsidized housing. Separately, the Miramar Police Department said it was looking into whether a sergeant threatened violence in a post.
That makes five officers who are now under review in just the past month over social-media remarks.
Sgt. David Karlin, of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, has been temporarily reassigned to administrative duty during an investigation over his “potential social media/social network policy violations,” a Sheriff’s Office spokesman said.
In screenshots obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, one of Karlin’s Facebook posts says, “I’m sorry, but if you are still ‘struggling with slavery,’ I’m still struggling with when the Vikings invaded England in the 8th century and enslaved my relatives.”
Another post says, “What is privilege? … Privilege is wearing $200 dollar sneakers when you’ve never had a job.” The post says, “Privilege
is living in public subsidized housing” and “privilege is having as many children as you want regardless of your employment status,” before calling out those who “TAKE TAKE TAKE” to say “thanks” and go “on your way.”
Karlin, reached by phone, said, “I can’t comment on anything.”
A spokeswoman for the Miramar Police Department confirmed Thursday that Sgt. Scott Nix has been “relieved of duty, pending the outcome of an administrative investigation.”
WSVN-Ch. 7 reported that Nix posted on social media after the killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta on Sunday by police in that city. According to WSVN, the post said, “If you, said criminal fights me and takes my taser and then try to use my taser on me … I will blow your [expletive] brains out. I will not apologize. [Expletive] you and your family and all these [expletive] politicians and media.”
The reviews come during a period of heightened scrutiny of online and in-person police behavior, brought on during a national outcry over the killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers three weeks ago.
Karlin is the fourth Broward sheriff ’s deputy in the past month to be placed on restricted duty while the Department’s Office of Internal Affairs investigates the posts online. He is the second deputy to be placed on leave this week. While on restricted duty, Broward sheriff’s employees still receive pay.
Deputy Hector Fajardo is being investigated over a string of online comments, including posts about minorities, Muslims and transsexuals.
Deputy Michael Ruback is being investigated over whether his social media comments violated agency policy.
Deputy Ronald Thurston is being investigated over social media posts advocating for more black representation in the higher echelons of leadership in the Broward Sheriff’s Office. “Vote or die,” Thurston wrote on a Facebook page after listing the number of black employees in various divisions at the Sheriff ’s Office.
The investigation into Karlin will determine if he violated the department’s social media policy, which prohibits officers “from disseminating content that is inconsistent with the duties, conduct and responsibilities of a Broward Sheriff ’s Office employee.”
In a statement Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office said it “in no way condones opinions or statements that discredit an individual or reflect poorly on our agency. As a public service agency, we must always hold ourselves to the highest standard of professionalism and accountability.”