New Jersey Department Of Corrections Moves To Remove Officer Seen In George Floyd Reenactment Video
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) – New Jersey's Department of Corrections has taken steps to remove an officer seen on video with a group of people mocking George Floyd protesters in Franklin Township.
The department said it filed removal proceedings against the officer Thursday.
Cellphone video captured a group of men yelling at protesters as they marched in the street earlier this month. One man was seen kneeling on another man's neck.
One of the counter-protesters was later identified as a corrections officer, and he was suspended without pay.
On Thursday, the DOC tweeted that the officer "was placed on non-pay status pending a due process hearing as part of the regular procedure for government unionized employees."
Update: Removal charges have been served on the DOC officer involved in the video mocking the killing of George Floyd. The Officer was placed on non-pay status pending a due process hearing as part of the regular procedure for government unionized employees. https://t.co/wcESQscFzA
— NJ Department of Corrections (@NJ_DOC) June 23, 2020
The union identified the officer as Joseph DeMarco and said he was also suspended from the organization.
"PBA 105 have brought union charges against Mr. DeMarco and he is suspended from our organization," union president William Sullivan said in an email. "We do not support any member of this association that does anything outside the scope of our duties as Correctional Police Officers."
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)