Crime & Safety

Pleasantville Mayor Backs Suspension of Police Officer

Mayor Peter Scherer said any concerns of the situation resulting in a lawsuit are "extremely premature."

While the investigation of a Pleasantville police officer being suspended for a derogatory Facebook post about President Barack Obama is ongoing, Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer said the police department has the village’s full support. 

“I certainly am in agreement with how the situation is being handled,” Scherer said. “The Village of Pleasantville deplores racism in any format.”

Pleasantville police officer Peter Burns allegedly published the post on Wednesday, Dec. 11 on a Facebook profile page he operated under the name “Coon Trapper.” The infamous post was recently obtained by The Journal News. It has since been taken down.

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“The fact that he (Obama) is still alive bewilders me,” Burns wrote, according to Lohud.com. “Go die in a shallow grave you Muslim commie...”

Pleasantville Police Chief Richard Love placed Burns on administrative leave on Tuesday, Dec. 17. His suspension will last for the duration of his investigation. At its conclusion, it will be determined whether or not the comments will result in termination and or any further consequences.

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Scherer said it is possible, depending on the outcome of the investigation, that the Village Board would be involved in Burns’ hearing. When asked if the village had any concerns of the situation resulting in a lawsuit, he said such hypothetical questions are “extremely premature.”

“We have responsibilities to our employees and they have responsibilities to us,” he said. “We’re taking this very seriously to determine if they (the comments) are true, and we’ll move forward from there.”

Stay with Patch for updates on this story.

Editor's Note: The original quote from the Mayor saying "Pleasantville does not deplore racism" was indeed a typo. It has since been corrected. 


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