Cop Who Joked About Arresting Sterling Brown On Facebook Has Been Fired

In June, Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown filed a civil suit against the city of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales, and eight other MPD officers for the roles they played in Brown’s Jan. 26 arrest, during which he was tackled and tased by officers for no reason. That suit revealed that one of the officers involved in the arrest, Erik Andrade, later joked about the incident on Facebook. The Milwaukee Police Department announced yesterday that Andrade has been fired because of those posts.

Morales announced the firing in a statement which pointed out that Andrade’s posts had a “racist connotation” and violated the department’s social media policies. From the AP:

“They have a racist connotation and are derogatory, mocking an individual who was recently the subject of officers’ use of force,” Morales said. “Such comments also directly affect his credibility and ability to testify in future hearings as a member of this Department. I have not, and will not, tolerate such behavior.”

According to the department, Andrade was not one of the officers who tackled and tased Brown, but did arrive at the scene later after officers had called for backup.

Brown’s lawsuit also revealed that Andrade had a history of making racist Facebook posts, such as these:

Apparently, nobody at the department noticed these posts or felt they were fireable offenses until now.