The St. Petersburg Police Department has dismissed one of its officers, Brent Clark, following an internal investigation into a racist comment he made to a co-worker. Clark, who had been part of the department since 2011 and previously worked in the traffic section, made the offensive remark on April 18 while at the evidence processing station within the department's downtown headquarters.
As reported by Tampa Bay Times, the issue came to light after the recipient of the comment disclosed the interaction to fellow officers, and a supervisor was subsequently notified. The St. Petersburg Police Department's Office of Professional Standards then launched an investigation into the matter.
"The board agreed with the allegations of conduct inappropriate of a police officer," the department said of the Command Review Board's findings. These proceedings led to Clark's termination on September 11, as noted in statements by the department and corroborated by WFLA.
Police Chief Anthony Holloway hosted a review session where allegations against Clark were thoroughly examined. The review board, upholding the allegations, affirmed that Clark's conduct was unbecoming of an officer. This development, first disclosed by WTSP, resulted in the definitive decision to discharge Clark from his duties within the department.
No specific details about the content of Clark’s comment have been made public.
