• Jason Lentz, a 17-year veteran of the Elgin PD in
Illinois, posted 11 racially-charged or offensive messages on Facebook this
year
• Above a video showing Ferguson victim Michael Brown, 18,
allegedly stealing cigars he wrote: 'Innocent victim my a***. Did society a
favor'
• He called a black highway patrol captain 'the enemy
within' and agreed his kids should stay at home for Veterans Day if they're off
for MLK day
• He has been suspended multiple times before, including for
failing to turn up to testify as a witness in a rape trial because he was going
on vacation
By Lydia Warren for MailOnline
A police officer has been placed
on administrative leave after writing on Facebook that the Ferguson, Missouri
cop who shot dead an unarmed black teenager last month 'did society a favor'.
Jason Lentz, a 17-year veteran
of the Elgin Police Department in Illinois, is under investigation after
colleagues discovered he had written multiple racially-charged Facebook posts.
Details of his posts have now been released to the Courier-News following a
Freedom of Information request.
His suspension - the fourth in
his career - comes after Ferguson cop Darren Wilson gunned down 18-year-old
Michael Brown on August 9, sparking clashes between police officers and
protesters.
In one online post on his
personal Facebook page on August 17, Lentz posted a photo of Missouri Highway
Patrol Captain Ron Johnson - who is black - with a black man and making an 'OK'
hand sign.
'He is also in the Chicago
Tribune hugging protesters. Just awesome… appears to be the enemy within,'
Lentz wrote.
The post about Brown was made
on August 15 above a video he shared entitled: 'Police Released surveillance
footage allegedly showing Michael Brown stealing cigars befor[e].'
He wrote: 'Hmmm … Innocent
victim my ass. Did society a favor.'
The Courier-News reported that
after the post was seen by supervisors, Lentz was told to remove it - but he
did not and simply shortened the message to read: 'Hmmm...'
In total, 11 Facebook posts
made over the past year were included in his file.
Another included a photo of a
letter a parent had written to a school, explaining that their child would not
attend school on Veterans Day until students attend school on Martin Luther
King Day.
Lentz wrote: 'Hell Yeah!!! I
think next year I'll keep the kids home.'
He was placed on leave after
another officer brought the posts to command staff's attention. Officials have
said that the posts could violate the Police Department's social media
guidelines.
The officer has previously
served suspensions in 2001, 2012 and June, the Courier News reported.
Among these, in 2012, he was
summoned to court to appear as a witness in a case about the rape of a
74-year-old woman in 2010.
But he failed to turn up,
telling a supervisor and assistant states attorney that he was not able to
attend because he was flying out for vacation.
Earlier this year, he was also
accused of sending an email on the city system that included profanity.
The investigation is expected
to take a few weeks. Depending on the conclusion, he could return to work or
face termination.
Other police officers have
found themselves in hot water for their comments following the Ferguson
incident.
Glendale Officer Matthew
Pappert lost his job after he commented on his Facebook saying the protesters
should be 'put down like rabid dogs'.
In another comment, he said:
'Where is a Muslim with a backpack when you need them?'
Pappert later apologized,
saying he was 'deeply remorseful' for the comments.
