Baton Rouge Police Chief Apologizes For Hiring Officer Who Killed Alton Sterling

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul issued an apology on behalf of his department for hiring the officer who murdered Alton Sterling.

Sterling, 37, was killed by former officer Blane Salamoni back in July of 2016. Sterling’s death sparked outrage as well as protests from the #BlackLivesMatter movement. “We are sorry Baton Rouge. I want to apologize to the family of Alton Sterling and also to his kids,” Chief Paul said, according to CNN affiliate WAFB.

“We’re sorry because he should have never been hired. And while we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future, and I sincerely apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in building barriers in communities of color in Baton Rouge,” said Paul, who joined the department in January 2018. In March 2018, state officials determined it would not press charges against the two officers involved in Sterling’s death, claiming their actions were justified. However, only days later, the department dropped Salamoni from his position for violating force policies in the shooting of Sterling.

Paul announced on Thursday the department reached a resolution that banned Salamoni from working for the force forever.  Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said Salamoni also wouldn’t be getting paid in the resolution. “First, let me say I stand behind our officers, men, and women who put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect our citizens,” Weston Broome said. “However, our department no longer has room for individuals who can’t live up to its high standards or have shown a pattern of unprofessional behavior.”

Leo Hamilton, an attorney for the Baton Rouge Police Department, said Thursday that Salamoni had a history of misbehavior prior to Sterling’s shooting.

“What became apparent from all the evidence presented to the chief was that Mr. Salamoni had a propensity for acting outside of the standards established by the BRPD for command of temper and use of force,” he said. Hamilton said Salamoni would often abuse his power of authority by physically and verbally assaulting individuals with the use of profanity and excessive force. CNN reports that another officer explained that if Salamoni wasn’t stopped, he could kill someone.