SEWICKLEY HEIGHTS, Pa. — The Sewickley Heights Police Chief is on leave while the borough investigates allegations that he sent out racist text messages. The issue came to light after a neighbor sent out an anonymous letter.
“I appreciate whoever, even though they were anonymous- they shared the information,” said Tim Stevens.
Black Political Empowerment Project CEO, Tim Stevens, is talking about an anonymous letter sent by a concerned Sewickley Heights neighbor. The letter asks for troubling behavior by Chief James Harrison to be addressed:
“Attached to this message are several screenshots of text messages and memes that Chief Harrison has sent, which display overtly racist and disrespectful attitudes. The biases in these messages are alarming, particularly for someone in a position of authority.”
“It becomes a problem because then those officers and he, when he’s in a situation, will interact with black people from a very negative perspective, prejudicial perspective and racist perspective,” Stevens said.
In a statement to Channel 11, Sewickley Heights leaders said:
“The Borough received an anonymous letter raising a complaint about Chief Harrison and is aware that several residents received copies of this letter as well. The Borough is investigating the allegations, and the Chief has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is pending.”
And if the investigation shows the Chief sent the messages, Stevens says, ”I think he should be fired. You cannot have a police chief with those attitudes. This cannot be a swat on the hand; he needs to be removed from office.”
Borough officials say they also sent a letter to residents about this issue. They say until the investigation is complete, there won’t be any further comment.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW