Dallas Police leaders gathered Wednesday at the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas headquarters to address what the Black Police Association president calls the “racist actions” of one white police officer.
Tuesday, Dallas police officer Caleb McCollum posted an image on the Dallas Police Association Facebook page of a coin mockingly commemorating the South Central Dallas Police Patrol Station’s 15th anniversary, which he attempted to sell for $10 apiece.
Black Police Association president Terrance Hopkins says the coin — emblazoned with images of a gold-toothed doughboy-cartoon character holding a gun and cash, a police car opposite a vehicle with gold rims, the words “Big T Plaza” (name of a South Dallas center that primarily serves the Black community) and “South Central” atop a crack house against a Dallas skyline — is racist.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia joined Hopkins, council member Carolyn King Arnold and Tennell Atkins at Black Police Association headquarters in Oak Cliff to discuss the situation.
Challenge coins are popular among law enforcement personnel and generally provide a positive way for members to honor and show respect for their fellows, Garcia explained. He says that when [Dallas officers] do wrong, they are held accountable, and that this officer will be held accountable.
“I’m going to tell you right now, I’m not having it,” Garcia says. “It’s not going to continue on my watch. We have a standard at the Dallas Police Department. I will not allow an individual to stain that and to tarnish our badge and what we’re doing.”
The offending officer is on administrative leave and under investigation.
Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said in a statement that yesterday he “became aware of a person posting a coin for sale on the members’ site that offended some … I too believe [it] was in very poor taste and had no business being on the DPA members page.”
“I’m a firm believer when a person or organization makes an error in judgment or mistake they must own it to move forward … I do my very best to watch over the site and be aware of what is on it, but regrettably, I can’t monitor the page 24 hours a day and catch everything. I was contacted by a member who brought it to my attention and I immediately deleted it,” Mata said.
“I want to apologize to any person who was hurt or offended by the post and I promise to be more diligent in my duties to ensure that this organization and the media sites within it respects all members at Dallas Police Association.”
Garcia says he doesn’t think the coins have been made and that the posted image showed a design order that had not been filled.
Hopkins says that the higher ups at the DPD acted swiftly to address the problem.
