Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson fired the president of the police union on Thursday, more than two months after he sent an email to the agency’s almost 235 members calling diversity provisions “sexist and racist.”
Officer Doug Wilkinson, who was hired by the police department in 2002, was placed on administrative leave after he sent the Nov. 16 email. His termination is effective as of Thursday, according to the agency.
Wilkinson was fired after an investigation found he likely violated the city’s anti-harassment policy and a police department’s directive about discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment, according to the release.
Wilkinson sent the email after the state announced an agreement with the police department to change the agency’s use-of-force, hiring and training practices. The agreement came after a state investigation discovered a pattern of racist policing and excessive use of force by the police department.
“To match the ‘diversity’ of ‘the community’ we could make sure to hire 10% illegal aliens, 50% weed smokers, 10% crackheads, and a few child molesters and murderers to round it out. You know, so we can make the department look like the ‘community,’” Wilkinson wrote in the email.
Five employees filed a complaint about the message, according to a news release from the agency.
