Detroit — The rookie Detroit cop suspended for a social media post over the weekend has been fired, Police Chief James Craig said Monday. "He was terminated," Craig said in a news conference at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters downtown while joined by members of the police department's command staff. "This is his last day on our payroll. Tomorrow, he will no longer be a Detroit police officer. He is clear on that." The chief's remarks came about a day after he said he suspended the officer, Sean Bostwick, 27, for allegedly posting a Snapchat photo of himself in uniform on Saturday with the caption "another night to Rangel (sic) up these zoo animals." It also came hours after Bostwick met with the chief to discuss the situation. Craig said he and Bostwick met in the chief's office about 10:30 a.m. Monday. Bostwick was accompanied by a union representative. Read more: Detroit cop suspended after social media post "This is not reflective of this department," Craig said. "We expect a high level of professionalism when we're serving the public." The chief said the post was shocking and he received dozens of phone calls from other police officers, city officials and community leaders about it. Bostwick expressed some remorse about the post during his meeting with the chief, Craig said. "He took responsibility for it. He admitted that he did this. He said he didn't mean it the way it came off." The officer took the post down immediately, but it had already gone viral, the police chief said. Craig said insensitive comments of this nature will not be accepted in the department or the city. "If you feel that way, you're not welcome here and we're not going to have any tolerance for this kind of behavior," he said. He also said Bostwick had been in the field and out of the police academy for about two months. The officer had been with the force for about 18 months, but spent much of the time at the academy because of low test scores, according to the chief. He was assigned to the department's 12th Precinct. Because the officer was still on probation, Craig said he was able to "take quick, decisive action" in the matter. The situation would have been different if Bostwick was a tenured officer. Craig said he hopes that another police department doesn't hire Bostwick as an officer. "I think any department that hires him will be concerned about this post," he said. "I don't think any city would want to take a chance or risk, but that's between him and a potential employer." cramirez@detroitnews.com Twitter: @CharlesERamirez<doc-sep>A Detroit police officer was fired Monday after posting a picture on Snapchat with a racist caption that went viral. Sean Bostwick, who worked in the 12th Precinct, posted a picture of himself on Snapchat with the caption, “Another night to Rangel (sic) up these zoo animals,” before starting his Sunday shift. Bostwick misspelled the word “wrangle.” The photo spread after John Bennett, a former Detroit police officer, posted it on his Facebook, writing: “This is a newly appointed Detroit Police Officer. The caption speaks for itself.” Detroit police chief James Craig said he met with Bostwick on Monday and that he decided to fired him during the discussion. “He did express some remorse, but I certainly advised him in a very strong way that this has placed a stain not just on our department, but the entire organization,” Craig said during a news conference Monday. “He is off of our payroll effective tomorrow morning.” Bostwick was two months out of training in the police academy after being hired in June 2017. Bostwick was still a probationary officer when he posted the photo, Craig said. The commander overseeing his training felt he needed additional time in his fieldwork. Bostwick being on probation expedited his firing, according to Craig. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.<doc-sep>
The Detroit Police Department confirmed on Monday that it had fired an officer and opened an investigation into his conduct after a picture he posted to Snapchat with a racially-charged message went viral. Sean Bostwick, 27, who worked in the 12th Precinct, posted a photo of himself in his uniform with the caption "Another night to Rangel (sic) up these zoo animals." He posted the photo directly before starting his shift on Sunday. Police chief James Craig said in a press conference on Monday that Bostwick admitted to posting the photo. "He expressed remorse" and claimed the post was misinterpreted but Craig said that his explanation "didn't pass muster." Former police officer John Bennett shared the post to criticize it on Sunday and his message went viral. Bennett co-chaired the department's discrimination committee and released a report on racism in the department last year. Also on freep.com: Mich. ACLU to Walmart: Stop selling gear with Redskins school mascot Detroit demolition worker accused of calling city workers N-word Police said that the department was notified about the post on Sunday afternoon and that Bostwick was suspended "shortly thereafter." Craig said that Bostwick was fired on Monday and will be off the payroll beginning Tuesday. "He will no longer be a Detroit police officer," Craig said of Bostwick. Craig said that Bostwick was a new hire and was still on probation when the post went viral. Because he was still on probation, he could be fired more quickly, Craig said. The police chief also stressed that, as a probationary officer, Bostwick never served without a partner.