SPRINGFIELD — The Layton Police Department in Utah is investigating a complaint by Bishop Talbert W. Swan II, president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP, that his Facebook page was marred by a “racist” meme allegedly posted by one of Layton’s officers.
Swan, in a Facebook response to the post, said it was “racist, despicable, and unbecoming for any law enforcement officer to post on social media.”
Lt. Travis Lyman, a spokesman for Layton police, said Thursday a complaint was received and “and we have initiated an internal affairs investigation.”
“The allegation was the comment was made by a member of this department,” Lyman said. “It is not resolved yet.”
The post that included the meme was made in response to a post by Swan comparing sexual assault claims against Bill Cosby and Donald Trump. The post left on his page “made mockery of African Americans in a picture of ancient Egyptians” that included a lewd reference to male anatomy, Swan said in a press release.
The bishop said the meme was posted Tuesday at about 2:45 p.m. The post was subsequently deleted, but Swan provided a screen shot of it and the offending meme with his press release.
“I am incredibly disappointed that in 2017, there are some police officers who do not understand that wearing the badge of office and carrying the title of police officer is a sacred trust and that racism has no place in police conduct either on or off duty,” Swan said.
Swan has a significant social media presence, with more than 48,000 people “liking” his Facebook page. On Twitter, he has nearly 30,000 followers.