Racist social media posts lead to termination of Bradenton police officer, cops say
The Bradenton Police Department fired an officer after an internal affairs investigation found several “racially disparaging” posts on his personal Facebook page.
An investigation into Officer Jerard Vonador’s social media posts began on June 22, according to a news release. Over the course of the past year, Vonador, who is Black, made several racist comments, BPD concluded.
In one post, Vonador referred to Candace Owens, a Black conservative author and activist, as a “coon,” a racist slur used to demean and degrade African Americans. He shared another post on Facebook that depicts U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and Owens as Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima.
Investigators found a third post that Vonador shared on his Facebook on June 16, suggesting that Black people create an app that notifies other Black people in the area when one of them gets pulled over so that others can show up “strapped,” referring to firearms.
“This is a good idea, but show up with a gun, not just a camera,” Vonador wrote.
According to the news release issued late Monday afternoon, Vonador had been previously disciplined for “inappropriate Facebook messaging.” It was not immediately clear how long Vonador worked as an officer with the Bradenton Police Department.
Internal affairs investigators spoke with Vonador twice about the posts.
“He admitted to writing the comment, posting it on his Facebook, and after debate agreed it did not paint a respectable picture of law enforcement.” Vonador said regarding the June 16 post. “He later agreed that the comment could bring disrepute and when asked if that one statement could violate the social media policy, he stated, ‘That one statement, I guess it could.’”
The department also concluded that Vonador mishandled an aggravated battery case by failing to obtain direct witness testimony, which postponed the arrest of the suspect, according to a release.
“The Bradenton Police Department strives to maintain a professional and unbiased agency and recognizes that all actions by police officers can impact community relations. Any conduct by officers which impairs working relationships, impedes the performance of duties, negatively affects the public perception of the agency and fails to reflect our core values will not be tolerated,” the department said in a statement.
“Moreover, victims of crimes deserve a thorough and accurate investigation in furtherance of their safety and well-being,” the statement continued. “It is imperative that BPD adheres to the highest level of integrity and ethics to ensure the public is confident in the legitimacy of who we are as a law enforcement agency.”
On June 20, Vonador had been the primary officer dispatched to a woman’s apartment to a report of a domestic disturbance, according to an internal affairs report. The woman’s neighbor had heard her yelling “Help me please!” and had gone to knock on her front door. When she heard the woman yell out again for help, the neighbor opened the door and saw the victim being held by her ex-boyfriend by her hair with a knife in his hand.
The neighbor began “yelling, punching and pushing him to leave,” as her own boyfriend called 911. They succeeded in getting him to leave before officers arrived.
When Vonador arrived along with another officer as backup, Vonador ordered the neighbor to go back to her own apartment, both women later told internal affairs investigators, saying he would come back to take her statement but never did.
In addition to failing to take the neighbor’s statement, Vonador also didn’t take any notes when speaking with the victim, offer her medical assistance or photograph her injuries. Days later, a large bruise on her arm was seen by internal affairs investigators.
Vonador only made one attempt to contact the suspect by phone, according to police, and submitted a capias request, and not a warrant, for his arrest.
Four days later, the victim made a formal complaint to the department about Vonador’s handling of the case.
“I felt like I was a victim again,” the woman told an internal affairs investigators.
Detectives from the department did arrest her ex-boyfriend later on June 24, charging him with false imprisonment, domestic battery and aggravated domestic battery with a deadly weapon.
During his initial interview with internal affairs, Vonador’s explanations for his handling of the case contradicted statements heard on audio captured by the dash cam in his patrol car. But ultimately when asked if he would have changed anything, Vonador said he would have documented more what he had learned.
“Based off of what she told me that night, I thought what I wrote that night was what happened,” he said during the second interview. “If additional information came available later, then I probably would have changed it later.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 5:20 PM.
