Earlier this month, a Florida school resource officer at a Tamp area high school was fired after his body cam captured him using the n-word multiple times.
Tampa PD said Officer Delvin White was fired for “violations of policy that prohibit discriminatory conduct.”
The department says the eight-year veteran of the force used the n-word while on the phone and directly to a person while he was arresting them Nov. 30.
Officer White says "Yes, I did say the N-word, but it wasn't used in a derogatory way."
Danny Alvarez with the Tampa Police Benevolent Association is fighting to help White get his job back.
Alvarez points out that where Officer White:
“…was born, where Delvin (White) was raised and hired, works, there is a certain type of language that's acceptable.
I can't say it…
Delvin is someone that made a mistake, using a word that we’re not allowed to use in uniform. But we don’t feel that his mistake rises to the level that he should have been fired. Should he have gotten in trouble? Yes. Counseled? Yes. Has he admitted those things? Yes.”
Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said:
"derogatory statements made by police officers jeopardize the trust that our department works to establish with our community. Tampa Police officers are held to a higher standard, and incidents like this negatively impact the entire law enforcement profession.”
Students at the predominately black middle school where White worked as a school resource officer rallied in support of him.
One parent of a student at the school says Officer White, “treats them like they’re his very own kids.” She says when she thought her son was skipping class, White kept a close eye on him, saying “we need officers like Officer White in our community.”