Two South Florida law enforcement officers are facing investigations by their respective departments, after they allegedly made racist comments on their social media accounts.
Comments posted on the page of Sgt. David Karlin, a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy who has been with the agency for 24 years, have placed him on restricted duty.
His social media posts claim, “What is privilege? Privilege is wearing $200 sneakers when you’ve never had a job … Privilege is wearing $300 Beats headphones while living on public assistance … Privilege is the ability to go march against and protest against anything that triggers you without worrying about calling out of work.”
Another on of his 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 eighth century and enslaved my relatives.”
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Karlin is a jail supervisor.
A third post by Darlin includes a picture of a seagull on the beach, resting on a pair of basketball shoes. The text of the post reads, “Apparently this seagull got his stimulus check.”
The Broward Chiefs of Police Association (BCCPA) held a news conference today, showing their solidarity against the in-custody death of George Floyd. Miramar Chief & BCCPA President Dexter Williams announced their pledge of a plan of action to improve law enforcement in Broward. pic.twitter.com/CKSbNsr8eg
— Miramar Police (@MiramarPD) June 5, 2020
Meanwhile, a similar situation is taking place in Miramar, after an officer there posted an expletive-filled message after the recent police-involved killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta.
Miramar Sgt. Scott Nix said on social media, “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.”
Miramar Police said in a statement, “Our department does not condone behavior that is inconsistent, incompatible, or in conflict with the values established by this agency. We expect all of our employees to operate with the highest level of ethics and integrity.”
In addition, a statement from BSO said, “The Broward Sheriff’s Office 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.”
The statement continues, “The sergeant has been temporarily reassigned to administrative duty during an investigation into potential social media/social network policy violations.”
Karlin has turned in his BSO identification and his weapon to the department. Nix has been relieved of duty, pending the outcome of an administrative investigation.