3 West Virginia Corrections Officers Fired Over Nazi Salute Photo
Written by SOURCE on December 7, 2019
Three West Virginia correctional employees were terminated this week over a photo that showed participants in a basic training program performing the Nazi salute.
The West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety announced the news Friday, confirming two correctional academy trainers and one of the basic training class cadets seen in the photo had been fired. The other 34 trainees in the picture were suspended without pay.
The image shows members of the Basic Training Class No. 18 with their right arms extended above and in front of their heads. The vast majority of the trainees, who were all in uniform, were also photographed with their hands straightened under the phrase, “Hail Byrd,” which is reportedly a reference to a training instructor.
“It is distasteful, hurtful, disturbing, highly insensitive, and completely inappropriate,” Jeff S. Sandy, cabinet secretary for the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, wrote in a letter to CNN. “It undermines the high standards that have been set for our Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. It betrays the professionalism I have seen time and time again displayed and practiced by our brave correctional employees.”
According to a DMAPS press release, officials have conducted approximately 50 interviews related to the incident. Sandy, who has reviewed the statements alongside Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Commissioner Betsy Jividen, said he believes the investigation is almost complete.
DMAPS has released the photograph with all the faces blurred. Jividen has also demanded all copies be destroyed or sent to the DMAPS office “to keep its harm from spreading.”
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin responded to the scandal via Twitter on Friday: “This behavior warrants an immediate investigation and anyone who participated in any hateful and disgusting action should not be able to work for or be paid by the federal or state government and should be removed from their position immediately.”
