“I’m The Law Today Ni**a”: Cop Fired Over Racial Slur On Snapchat

Credit: Melissa Adamson
Credit: Melissa Adamson

On Tuesday, a young cop in Pennsylvania was fired over what some are calling a “racial tirade” on Snapchat while dressed in uniform.

Officer Melissa Adamson posted a photo of herself with the caption “I’m the law today nigga” and it went viral, garnering attention that no employee would want. Adamson had just begun working at the McKeesport Police Department weeks before they let her go over this incident. The city’s mayor, Mayor Michael Cherepko, actually saw to it himself that Adamson be fired. He posted on Facebook about the situation:

“As Mayor of the City of McKeesport, I feel compelled to publicly address an issue that has come to my attention via social media. A past social media post surfaced just a few hours ago involving a recently hired part-time police officer, who has been in training as a probationary employee for just a few weeks. This 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. Without hesitation, my office and the police chief’s office immediately concluded that this officer’s actions will not be tolerated in the City of McKeesport. She has been relieved of her duties, and her employment has been terminated.”

Adamson had recently resigned from Pitcairn Police Department to work in McKeesport, meaning she has now lost her spot at two jobs within a short period of time. The chief at that station said that Adamson had a good work ethic and was involved in the community, but that they are standing by McKeesport for their decision.

Despite exercising her right to freedom of speech, “it is the content of the text in the picture which is unacceptable. The Pitcairn Police Department holds high integrity for the community we serve and this type of conduct will not be tolerated,” the department wrote in a post to its own Facebook page.

Credit: Action News 4
Credit: Action News 4

The post was inconveniently timed, as fatal situations behind white cops and unarmed black men have been occurring frequently in the last several weeks. The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday, when mentally ill Alfred Olango was simultaneously Tasered and shot dead by local police even though he didn’t have a gun on him.

As far as what Adamson thinks of the whole incident, she said,

“I don’t want this to affect how I do my job. I don’t want people to look at me differently, thinking that I can’t build myself up to the standard of a police officer. Again, it was a stupid mistake. It shouldn’t have been posted in general, regardless of how my intentions were.”

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