After a Louisville Metro Police Department sergeant sent a mass email that labeled the Breonna Taylor protesters as “thugs,” Louisville Police Chief Erika Shields has reprimanded Sergeant Jon Mattingly for violating the department’s policy for email usage, NBC News reported.
Mattingly received a letter of reprimand on March 29 that said he sent a written communication to several other sworn officers “that did not serve any business purpose.”
In the email sent out by Mattingly, he expressed his opinion about the protestors and said that he and his colleagues did not have to deal with it.
New: LMPD Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly (who is being investigated as part of Breonna Taylor’s case) sent an email to around 1,000 officers at 2am that calls protestors thugs, complains about the government enforcing civil rights violations, and claims this is “good versus evil” pic.twitter.com/VcuyPDP790
— Roberto Aram Ferdman (@robferdman) September 22, 2020
Mattingly’s email read, “You DO NOT DESERVE to be in this position. “
“The position that allows thugs to get in your face and yell, curse and degrade you. Throw bricks, bottles, and urine on you and expect you to do nothing. It goes against EVERYTHING we were all taught in the academy.”
“The position that if you make a mistake during one of the most stressful times in your career, the department and FBI (who aren’t cops and would piss their pants if they had to hold the line) go after you for civil rights violations,” the letter continued. “Your civil rights mean nothing, but the criminal has total autonomy.”
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Mattingly, who was present the night of the raid at Taylor’s home and got shot, said, “We as police DO NOT CARE if you are Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, what you identify as…this week. We aren’t better than anyone. This is not an us against society, but it is good versus evil.”
Despite this, Sergeant Mattingly is still currently working for the department, according to Revolt.
