NAUGATUCK — A police officer who was suspended for calling a woman a racial slur on Facebook was also punished for an absence without leave event.
Naugatuck Officer Jasen Markette called Carissa Walters, a Naugatuck native now living in Massachusetts, a “mud shark” after finding out that she had a mix-race son during an online debate over slavery, white privilege, and whether confederate statues should be taken down in August.
Markette’s 10-day suspension was for both the Facebook incident and an absence without leave event that happened Sept. 9, according to a disciplinary agreement between Markette and the borough.
Lt. Bryan Cammarata said Markette swapped shifts with another officer and worked that officer’s shift, but that officer didn’t show up to work Markette’s shift, leaving Markette on the hook for the missed shift.
According to the agreement signed Oct. 11, Markette was suspended for five days without pay and forfeited three sick days and two paid holidays.
In a statement, Markette told the department that he heard the term “mud shark” on a comedy show with Dave Chappelle that he was watching the day he got into an online debate with Walters.
“Chappelle’s point was that his girlfriend was commenting on another race when she herself is not that race and she is dating a different race then (sic) herself,” Markette wrote.
He also apologized for his remarks, saying he regretted the comment and didn’t mean to offend Walters or anyone else.
“I now realize my words do impact others more than just myself. I was drinking alcohol at time and was intoxicated during the end of our conversation. … I am greatly embarrassed and ashamed of my behavior. My comment in no way represents the person I am or my views of how I see others,” Markette wrote.
In his internal affairs report, Cammarata said he did not find any other complaints against Markette that indicated racial bias or anything indicating he has ever made any racially insensitive comments during his employment as a Naugatuck police officer.
Cammarata wrote that he also reviewed Markette’s call history of the past three years and found no evidence to indicate that he conducted himself inappropriately or with any bias toward anyone he interacted with during the course of his duties.
“Officers of the Naugatuck Police Department should be held to a standard higher than that of the general public. Officer Markette clearly demonstrated conduct that is unbecoming of an officer by posting comments on his social media (Facebook) page that were insensitive and inappropriate. The comments made by Officer Jasen Markette not only embarrass himself, but all of those of the Naugatuck Police Department,” Cammarata wrote.
He wrote that Markette violated the department’s cannon of ethics, code of conduct, and policy on personal web pages, blogs and other electronic media.
