At the regular city council meeting of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, United States on the evening of August 14, 2023, police officers Jacob Smith and Dennis Kleyh were sworn in. Photos of the ceremony were posted on the city social media accounts of the city and the Pleasant Hill Police Department.
That evening, a citizen shared a post from Smith’s social media accounts that included racially insensitive content. In July 2023, he posted a racist meme on Facebook, which contained a message against black people, according to Pleasant Hill Police Department chief Tommy Wright.
Applying as a police officer requires passing drug and psychological testing. As part of the public records and background check, criminal history and court records check, online searches of photos, videos, names and news related to the applicant are included.
The hiring process within the Pleasant Hill Police Department typically includes a social media background. However, the department failed to see Smith’s racist Facebook post before swearing him in as a police officer.
“This was a mistake on our part and we’ll own that,” Wright said. “We will be more diligent moving forward to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. There’s no place for us to have any kind of bigotry or hate within our ranks and within our community.”
Around 3-4 hours after being sworn in as a Pleasant Hill Police Department officer, Smith was suspended with pay. By 1:00 a.m. on August 16, 2023, he was let go from the department.
CONAN Daily 