Officer suspended after racist, violent speech surfaces

[Bob Juch]

The St. Louis County police officer who was last seen on tape shoving CNN reporter Don Lemon during a Ferguson, Missouri, protest has been suspended. Not for manhandling the press and protesters on live television, but because tape has surfaced of the officer, Dan Page, giving a virulently racist and violence-peddling speech to the far-right militia group, "Oath Keepers".

In addition to ranting about "black robed perverts," affirmative action, hate crime laws, Muslims, "sodomites" on the Supreme Court, "sodomites and females" in the military and declaring that the people he meets on domestic violence calls should just "shoot each other and get it over with", and seemingly bragging about killing people, Page manages to hit a gamut of crackpot conspiracy theories. He says President Obama is secretly a Kenyan, and claims he (Page) was briefed on the 9/11 attacks before they ever happened.

Ye gods, this is one of the people enforcing laws in Ferguson? And then there's the guy who threatened to kill protesters outright—St. Louis area police departments are going to start finding their ranks thinning out quite a bit if these protests go on much longer.

Here's the statement from St. Louis County Police:

Some of you may have already seen the video of the St. Louis County Police Officer speaking off-duty at an Oath Keepers event. If you haven't we are sure you will in the coming days as news circulates the release of the video.

Chief Jon Belmar was notified of this video's existence today and upon a abbreviated viewing of the video was disturbed by the conversation being had. Chief Belmar does not expect this kind of rhetoric from his officers, just like they don't expect it from him.

Chief Belmar, on behalf of the St. Louis County Police Department, would like to apologize to the community, anyone that video has or will effect, and to the other hard working officers on the detail with the officer in question because they deserve better than that. While the officer has never been involved in an officer involved shooting, the statements made about killing are unacceptable and not what we are about as a Department.

We hold our officers to a high standard of honor both on and off duty. While we as a department do not have an issue with officers expressing themselves, this was disturbing and unacceptable. The officer is a 35 year veteran of this department and has been deployed numerous times in military service. He had passed the evaluations upon returning from deployment and there was no indication of this attitude.

Chief Belmar would again like to apologize to anyone this video has offended and aska any videos of this nature be reported so we can take proper action against any officer not meeting our standards.

Here's the video:

[Estonut]

The St. Louis County police officer who was last seen on tape shoving CNN reporter Don Lemon during a Ferguson, Missouri, protest has been suspended. Not for manhandling the press and protesters on live television, but because tape has surfaced of the officer, Dan Page, giving a virulently racist and violence-peddling speech to the far-right militia group, "Oath Keepers".

In addition to ranting about "black robed perverts," affirmative action, hate crime laws, Muslims, "sodomites" on the Supreme Court, "sodomites and females" in the military and declaring that the people he meets on domestic violence calls should just "shoot each other and get it over with", and seemingly bragging about killing people, Page manages to hit a gamut of crackpot conspiracy theories. He says President Obama is secretly a Kenyan, and claims he (Page) was briefed on the 9/11 attacks before they ever happened.

Ye gods, this is one of the people enforcing laws in Ferguson? And then there's the guy who threatened to kill protesters outright—St. Louis area police departments are going to start finding their ranks thinning out quite a bit if these protests go on much longer.

Here's the statement from St. Louis County Police:

Some of you may have already seen the video of the St. Louis County Police Officer speaking off-duty at an Oath Keepers event. If you haven't we are sure you will in the coming days as news circulates the release of the video.

Chief Jon Belmar was notified of this video's existence today and upon a abbreviated viewing of the video was disturbed by the conversation being had. Chief Belmar does not expect this kind of rhetoric from his officers, just like they don't expect it from him.

Chief Belmar, on behalf of the St. Louis County Police Department, would like to apologize to the community, anyone that video has or will effect, and to the other hard working officers on the detail with the officer in question because they deserve better than that. While the officer has never been involved in an officer involved shooting, the statements made about killing are unacceptable and not what we are about as a Department.

We hold our officers to a high standard of honor both on and off duty. While we as a department do not have an issue with officers expressing themselves, this was disturbing and unacceptable. The officer is a 35 year veteran of this department and has been deployed numerous times in military service. He had passed the evaluations upon returning from deployment and there was no indication of this attitude.

Chief Belmar would again like to apologize to anyone this video has offended and aska any videos of this nature be reported so we can take proper action against any officer not meeting our standards.

Here's the video:

This doesn't demonstrate what you think it does. This guy is (hopefully) as sick, twisted and repugnant as they come, but he never shot anyone because of their skin color.

[Bob Juch]

The St. Louis County police officer who was last seen on tape shoving CNN reporter Don Lemon during a Ferguson, Missouri, protest has been suspended. Not for manhandling the press and protesters on live television, but because tape has surfaced of the officer, Dan Page, giving a virulently racist and violence-peddling speech to the far-right militia group, "Oath Keepers".

In addition to ranting about "black robed perverts," affirmative action, hate crime laws, Muslims, "sodomites" on the Supreme Court, "sodomites and females" in the military and declaring that the people he meets on domestic violence calls should just "shoot each other and get it over with", and seemingly bragging about killing people, Page manages to hit a gamut of crackpot conspiracy theories. He says President Obama is secretly a Kenyan, and claims he (Page) was briefed on the 9/11 attacks before they ever happened.

Ye gods, this is one of the people enforcing laws in Ferguson? And then there's the guy who threatened to kill protesters outright—St. Louis area police departments are going to start finding their ranks thinning out quite a bit if these protests go on much longer.

Here's the statement from St. Louis County Police:

Some of you may have already seen the video of the St. Louis County Police Officer speaking off-duty at an Oath Keepers event. If you haven't we are sure you will in the coming days as news circulates the release of the video.

Chief Jon Belmar was notified of this video's existence today and upon a abbreviated viewing of the video was disturbed by the conversation being had. Chief Belmar does not expect this kind of rhetoric from his officers, just like they don't expect it from him.

Chief Belmar, on behalf of the St. Louis County Police Department, would like to apologize to the community, anyone that video has or will effect, and to the other hard working officers on the detail with the officer in question because they deserve better than that. While the officer has never been involved in an officer involved shooting, the statements made about killing are unacceptable and not what we are about as a Department.

We hold our officers to a high standard of honor both on and off duty. While we as a department do not have an issue with officers expressing themselves, this was disturbing and unacceptable. The officer is a 35 year veteran of this department and has been deployed numerous times in military service. He had passed the evaluations upon returning from deployment and there was no indication of this attitude.

Chief Belmar would again like to apologize to anyone this video has offended and aska any videos of this nature be reported so we can take proper action against any officer not meeting our standards.

Here's the video:

This doesn't demonstrate what you think it does. This guy is (hopefully) as sick, twisted and repugnant as they come, but he never shot anyone because of their skin color.

You don't know what I think. You also don't know who he may have shot or why.

[Jeemie]

I failed to see where Bob said this guy shot someone because of skin color, esto.

[Bob Juch]

I failed to see where Bob said this guy shot someone because of skin color, esto.

He didn't say he shot anyone because of their skin color, but he did say, "I'm also a killer. I've killed a lot, and if I need to I'll kill a whole bunch more. If you don't want to get killed, don't show up in front of me."

[Jeemie]

I failed to see where Bob said this guy shot someone because of skin color, esto.

He didn't say he shot anyone because of their skin color, but he did say, "I'm also a killer. I've killed a lot, and if I need to I'll kill a whole bunch more. If you don't want to get killed, don't show up in front of me."

Um...OK.

You do realize I was defending you against what estonut claimed, don't you?

[Bob Juch]

I failed to see where Bob said this guy shot someone because of skin color, esto.

He didn't say he shot anyone because of their skin color, but he did say, "I'm also a killer. I've killed a lot, and if I need to I'll kill a whole bunch more. If you don't want to get killed, don't show up in front of me."

Um...OK.

You do realize I was defending you against what estonut claimed, don't you?

You do realize I wasn't arguing with you?