It took a few months, but on Monday, Cincinnati city officials finally fired a 14-year-veteran of the police force who was caught on her body camera using the N-word in reference to Black teenagers.
WCPO-9 reports that (now former) officer Rose Valentino was on duty and in uniform on April 15 when she went on a racist tirade, calling people all kinds of horrific names. According to an internal investigation, Valentino was driving past a local high school and was irate about the traffic buildup of parents waiting to pick up their children. At one point, a Black teenager flipped Valentino off, and that’s when she went all KKK on him.
Here’s the transcription of the audio captured on Valentino’s body camera. Be warned: It’s not easy to read.
“F****** n****rs. I f****** hate ‘em. You gotta move. F****** ridiculous, f****** a*******. Is she gonna f****** just sit there? Oh, I f****** hate them so much, God, I hate this f****** world.”
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Interim Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge told WCPO that Valentino's use of the N-word was "not only inexcusable and incredibly hurtful" but ruins the credibility of the Collaborative Agreement, a pact created and signed in 2017 between the city, the Fraternal Order of Police, the ACLU, and the Cincinnati Black United Front after the 2001 shooting death of unarmed Black man Timothy Thomas at the hands of a white police officer.
"Officer Valentino’s clear loss of her emotions and ready use of the racial slur tarnished her ability to work with any community member or member of the Cincinnati Police Department hurt by her hateful words … This significantly reduces, if not eliminates, Officer Valentino’s ability to be a productive member of the police department. I want to be clear; this type of hateful speech will not be tolerated by anyone who works for the Cincinnati Police Department, sworn or civilian,” Theetge said.
Iris Roley, one of the architects of the Collaborative Agreement, told WCPO, "If I had it my way, the first time a racial slur was used, you would be out of a job.”
Cincinnati NAACP President Joe Mallory said in a statement that Valentino "demonstrated that she is not fit to police our communities." He added, "We hope Ms. Valentino will take time to engage in anti-racism training, as well as counseling for her own mental health … She must address the bias, discrimination, and hatred that is in her heart. We invite Ms. Valentino to become involved with the Cincinnati NAACP."
A statement from Dan Hils, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said, “No Cincinnati police officer should use the N-word or any other racial slur, and anyone who does is wrong. The Fraternal Order of Police represents Cincinnati Police Officers throughout the disciplinary process as outlined in our collective bargaining agreement. Officer Valentino is entitled to challenge her termination if she chooses, and the FOP will represent her if she does.”