Associated Press reports that Cody Anderson, a Bozeman, Montana police officer who wrote on his Facebook page that there should be a law allowing police to take people to jail for being “stupid” has resigned.
According to AP:
Anderson apologized for his online comment last month, saying it didn’t “reflect an attitude or atmosphere within the Bozeman police department.”
His posting came to light last month when a Bozeman man filed a lawsuit against the city, Anderson and other officers, saying his civil and constitutional rights were violated when he was wrongly arrested.
The lawsuit alleges entries from Anderson’s Facebook profile indicate he has a lack of respect for citizens’ rights and a willingness to abuse his position of authority.
Thanks to Brian Honan for this link.
Comment: we’ve seen a number of cases where people either resign or are fired for griping about work on their social networking sites. Personally, I don’t see how Anderson’s comment is really that bad or reflects a willingness to abuse his position of authority. If he gave specific examples of citizens’ behavior, that would be another matter, but just a general comment on stupidity? What do you think?