The Baton Rouge Police Department placed Sergeant Chris Kuhn on administrative leave after it was found that he posted racist messages on an online blog. Kuhn, who was also treasurer of the Baton Rouge Police Union, was dismissed from his position.
The police union discovered Kuhn’s comments on the website Tigerdroppings, where he posted under the screen name “Pesticide” and made remarks denigrating Blacks, Asians, and those of the Jewish faith. Investigators were able to connect the posts back to Kuhn using his phone number, which was attached to the screen name.
As shown by WBRZ-TV 2, some posts perpetuated racist, anti-Jewish and anti-Asian ideologies. In one post Kuhn wrote, “My old man taught me don’t be like them, get off your a** and go to work. So yeah, I was raised in racism. Worked out pretty good so far.”
One thread, entitled “What happened to the Chick-fil-A on college?” had a response from Kuhn that read, “I love the one in Denham…. kids in Denham have some pride and manners unlike the s*** birds in Baton Rouge…. thank God for the Amite River. Natural barrier to keep the trash out. That and some people can’t swim.”
In another asking “Would you rather live under Hilter or Stalin?” Kuhn answered, “Hitler. I’m German so I’m good.”
Kuhn also posted about sexually harassing and assaulting women, and ridiculed the Baton Rouge Police Department administration by calling it a three-ring circus.
Upon the release of this discovery, the Baton Rouge Police Department underscored its strict social media policy, stating that it wants to make sure individuals are not posting inappropriate things on social media about race, or disparaging others.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul released a statement Thursday, Sept. 24, that unequivocally denounced Kuhn’s actions. “Make no mistake – making racist and insensitive comments like the ones I read in the complaint, is a terminable offense in the Baton Rouge Police Department Policy. If our investigative efforts confirm that a Baton Rouge Police officer is responsible for the comments, I assure you, that individual will be held accountable.”
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome also said in a statement that she was “appalled” by the racist rants, and a proponent of Kuhn’s permanent dismissal from the force.
“If the investigation determines that he is the one who made the remarks, he should be fired immediately,” Broome said. There is absolutely no place for that, and I will not tolerate it.”
