A Tallapoosa police officer was fired due to several racist and anti-protester Facebook posts, according to the department.
The department announced last week that it learned of troubling Facebook posts made by Sgt. Dale “Buck” Wiggins from members of the public, leading to outcries for the officer to be fired, AJC.com previously reported.
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After a 72-hour internal investigation, he was terminated, a Tallapoosa police lieutenant confirmed Tuesday. The lieutenant made the confirmation on behalf of Chief Scott Worthy, who was not available this week.
On Thursday, the department announced that an officer, later identified as Wiggins, had been “suspended pending termination” in a Facebook post that has since been deleted. A second post by the department, which was also later deleted, added that the officer’s post “in no way reflects the values and standards” of the department.
“We are dedicated to serving everyone equally and we will ensure that every officer displays those commitments every day,” the post said.
While the department did not go into detail on Wiggins' posts, screenshots provided by members of the public show they featured memes about race, looting, former NFL star Colin Kaepernick and protesters. In a post provided to AJC.com, Wiggins responded to his suspension by calling it a "witch hunt" before deleting his Facebook account.
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According to his Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) file, Wiggins has worked in law enforcement since 2002, when he started as a jailer in Haralson County. In 2005, he left to join Buchanan police before voluntarily resigning in 2011.
That same year, POST records list that his certification was placed on probation for 12 months. The reason for that probation is unclear.
He returned to police work in 2015 when he joined Mt. Zion police, POST records show. He joined Tallapoosa police two years later and was promoted to sergeant in January 2019. A photo of Wiggins was not available in his POST file.
Wiggins’ firing is the latest in a series of incidents involving government employees and law enforcement officers getting in hot water due to social media posts regarding protesters.
In Jackson County, an emergency medical services employee was fired due to Facebook comments, including one that said “shoot them all” in reference to protesters in Gainesville.
RELATED: North Georgia EMS employee fired after anti-protester Facebook comments
In a similar case, a Hall County Sheriff’s Office employee was placed on leave due to “inappropriate remarks” on social media, according to the sheriff’s office. The investigation into the employee’s conduct is ongoing.
MORE: Hall County employee on leave after 'inappropriate remarks,' sheriff says
In a nearly 1,000-word Facebook post, Johns Creek police Chief Chris Byers said he did not support the Black Lives Matter movement while also blaming church leaders of contributing to discord between law enforcement and the public. The post has since been deleted.
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— AJC data specialist Jennifer Peebles contributed to this article.
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