Two Hope Officers In Trouble; One For A Racial Slur

The department says one officer used a racist comment, while another's judgment is in question.

This all started with reports of a fight. Now, the police department has placed two officers on administrative leave. It's not over. Some people in the community are demanding at least one of them lose his badge permanently.

Police dash camera video captured a conflict that's ignited accusations of racism in the Hope Police Department.

Police Chief James Wilson says it started Saturday after a report of an attack. "There have been a lot people suspicious of the police and the police department; some people say that I'm a racist," says Chief Wilson.

Law enforcement came to Oak Street and Bell Street after getting reports of a stabbing Saturday night. Once they got there, police say they saw no evidence of an attack. Instead, there were hundreds of people standing out there. Coincidentally, there was a wedding reception going on down the street. Police say shortly after getting there things got out of hand.

Dash camera video shows Leroy Booker walking with his girlfriend and then exchanging words with an officer. The officer goes to arrest him for disorderly conduct.

Kenneth Smith watched the confrontation from his front lawn.
"They said he was resisting arrest, but the way they handled him, his arms where swinging. He did not hit the officer, not one time. There was no swinging; it's just the way the arm was going by the time they picked him up and dumped him," says Smith.

Chief Wilson says a reserve officer listening to radio traffic at home, responded with this, "Them n-----s are on a warpath and if there's any shootin', I'm going out to the hospital."

"He was in a hurry and as he was talking to his wife, he said this racial slur. And when he said that racial slur, he didn't realize his mic was keyed accidentally and it went out over our radio," says Chief Wilson.

"This is a law enforcement officer. Whether he was talking to his wife or not, he shouldn't have entertained the thought or made that statement," says Smith.

Chief Wilson agreed and placed the officer on leave. The officer who arrested Booker is also on leave while the entire incident is investigated.

More than one hundred people have signed a petition to have the reserve officer who made the racist comment fired. Even though Chief Wilson says Booker's arrest didn't appear to be warranted, Booker is still being charged with resisting arrest.

After this incident, the Hope Police Department had a meeting with the local NAACP and area pastors. Chief Wilson says he wants the community to know he's being transparent.