by Attorney Eric D. PuryearAmy Pollpeter, who had been an analyst with the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) crime lab for 10 years, was fired after making a racist facebook post.
As reported, Pollpeter wrote that, “BECAUSE OF BLACKS” she now does notice skin color and “frankly, I no longer feel safe around them.” She went on to express how she would cross the street to avoid black people, and how she doesn’t trust black people. She then blamed black people for the racism that we experience. The full post is shown below:
After terminating her, DCI stated that “The Iowa Department of Public Safety has a strong commitment to integrity, impartiality, and professionalism in every aspect of our work. We have adopted these policies in order to ensure that the public has trust in all that we do, and our policies reflect the high standards that we maintain.” – DCI Commissioner Roxann Ryan
It is obviously a problem when a state employee whose duties directly relate to examining evidence and giving an opinion that can make the difference between a guilty or not guilty verdict is a racist. Such a racist can easily tilt the scales, sending an innocent person to prison or causing a guilty person to walk free. DCI was very correct to end her employment. Hopefully, she will not find employment in another setting where her racist attitudes could cause grave harm.
Note: For a discussion of racism in policing in general, and also about the specific incidents that relate to Ms. Pollpeter’s statements, please see this article on my gun rights website.