Alaska police chief placed on leave over social media posts
June 4, 2020 5:24PM AKDT
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska city has suspended its police chief following public complaints about a 2018 social media post in which he described the Black Lives Matter movement as a hate group. Palmer Police Department Chief Dwayne Shelton also posted a message that seemed to question the legitimacy of reports by sexual assault victims. Shelton is on administrative leave with pay and the Palmer City Council plans to take up the issue at its next meeting. Palmer Mayor Edna DeVries says employees fall under a code of ethics but the city also needs to balance the right to free speech.
