Daytona Beach Shores Cop Fired For Posting Racially 'Inappropriate' Photo

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Daytona Beach Shores, FL - A Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety officer was fired after the department says he posted a racially insensitive photo on Snapchat. Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety officials conducted an internal investigation beginning in early February after they say officer Matthew Moriarty sent a Snapchat photo of himself to approximately 15 people, and one of those people said the post contained some insensitive material pertaining to Black History Month. Moriarty was immediately suspended after the incident was reported.

(Snapchat photo from Moriarty obtained from Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety)

Moriarty admitted to sending the photo, and as a result of the investigation, his past traffic stops and arrests were examined. Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety says there was no apparent bias in those cases. Moriarty was formally terminated on April 10, and a final order of termination was issued on April 11. Moriarty's legal counsel called the incident a "15-second lapse in judgment," reports show. “The actions, in this case, are reprehensible. Nobody who holds these types of racist biases can be an unbiased and effective law enforcement officer, and this type of behavior will never be tolerated or defended by this agency,” department director Stephan Dembinsky said in a statement. “These actions undermined the public trust and only serve to make the job of dedicated officers more difficult.” The Public Safety Department is now contracting with the United States Department of Justice to give training to all its officers to prevent inherent bias. “This additional training will be part of the City's ongoing efforts to ensure that its employees deliver the highest quality of public services to the citizens of the City and the general public,” Shores City Manager Michael Booker explains. Photo courtesy BigTunaOnline and Shutterstock.com. Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.