Springfield Detective Fired After 'Hurtful' Anti-Police Social Media Post

SPRINGFIELD (AP) — A Massachusetts police detective who posted on social media a picture of her niece at a Black Lives Matter event holding a sign that suggested shooting police officers has been fired, according to a published report.

Rookie Springfield Detective Florissa Fuentes tells The Republican newspaper for a story Wednesday that the post was made on a personal account while she was off duty.

She said she was showing pride in her niece's activism at a late May protest in Atlanta and she does not advocate violence against police.

"After I posted it, I started getting calls and texts from coworkers," Fuentes said. "I was initially confused, but then I realized they thought I was being anti-cop. I wasn't. I was just supporting my niece's activism. I had no malicious intent, and I wouldn't put a target on my own back."

She removed the post.

The head of the detective bureau wrote her up, citing a "possible" social media violation.

She was fired on June 19 by Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood.

"That post was hurtful to many of her coworkers," Clapprood said, noting that as a rookie Fuentes was still on probation and the post was the second issue she had.

Fuentes, 30, was sworn in last July.

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