McKeesport police officer fired over apparent racist social media post

McKEESPORT, Pa. — A part-time police officer in McKeesport was fired after an apparent racist social media post involving the officer began circulating online, the mayor of McKeesport said.

The post is a photo of Officer Melissa Adamson,

, who was fired on Tuesday. The photo shows the officer in her police uniform with a caption that reads, “I’m the law today” and ended with a racial slur. The image appeared Tuesday afternoon on social media and was shared hundreds of times.

, writing, in part: “This post displays a degree of conduct and character that is far different from what I would expect from an officer in this city.”

The Pitcairn Police Department also responded to the post, in which Adamson appears to be wearing a Pitcairn police uniform. According to the

, she is a former officer in the Pitcairn police force.

“As the picture alone does not constitute misconduct, it is symbolic speech and protected under the First Amendment. However, it is the content of the text in the picture which is unacceptable,” the police department’s Facebook post read, in part.

Most McKeesport residents who spoke with Channel 11 News agreed that the woman’s comment should not have been made.

“For a rookie police officer, it's not a smart thing to do,” Kateri Kondrich said.

However, one woman said the slang is just how some people talk, and she took no offense to the officer’s photo or caption.

Pitcairn Police Chief Scott Farally told Channel 11 News on Wednesday that Adamson apologized to him Tuesday night, admitting that she was on duty when she took the selfie.

“To my knowledge, it was taken while she was on duty inside one of the patrol cars,” Farally said. “I am actually saddened on that. We have more integrity than that in this department.”

Farally said Adamson resigned last week before the post surfaced on Facebook to take a job as a Mckeesport police officer, where she was still undergoing training.

Channel 11 News also learned Wednesday that Adamson resigned Tuesday night from the Versailles Police Department, where she had worked part-time for two months.

Farally said he never received a complaint about Adamson during her nine months working in Pitcairn.

“I think it was just a bad choice by a new officer,” he said.

Cox Media Group