LAPD Sergeant Who Sent Valentine's Day George Floyd Meme Cleared of Wrongdoing

By Alyssa Wilson Published: July 8, 2021

LAPD Sergeant Who Sent Valentine’s Day George Floyd Meme Cleared of Wrongdoing

The Los Angeles Police Department has, once again, found itself subject to criticism after a 14-year-old girl was killed at a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood. "<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/10957255@N08/51118213299" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LAPD</a>" by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/10957255@N08" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Yarzab</a> is licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a>

By: Alyssa Wilson

The Los Angeles Police sergeant accused of violating department policy by sending out a Valentine’s Day meme of George Floyd was not found guilty of wrongdoing by an administrative board.

According to NBC Los Angeles, the board’s decision means the officer will not be terminated, suspended, or face any other forms of discipline for the act.

The defense attorney representing the sergeant, Leslie Wilcox, said the decision was “absolutely correct in exonerating the officer based on the evidence of this case.” Wilcox said the officer did not send the image to other officers, but instead sent it to a supervisor to make a complaint.

Instead of the traditional board panelists reviewing the case and delivering the decision, the sergeant opted to have the case reviewed by three panelists, not police officers.

When the news of the investigation into the meme went public in February 2021, LAPD Chief Michael Moore said any officers involved could face discipline. “I have no temperament or patience or allowance for them to remain in this organization,” he told reporters. The department also released a series of tweets about the incident.

The Department has become aware of allegations that an image was being passed around the department and this image was in the workplace. There are also allegations that the post with the image was authored by a department employee.

— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) February 14, 2021

George Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020. On June 25, 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years by Judge Peter Cahill of Hennepin County. He is also facing federal charges for violating Floyd’s civil rights.

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