NY officer suspended after refusing to respond to Planned Parenthood 911 call due to Black Lives Matter sign
August 19, 2020
A police officer in West Seneca, New York was suspended this week while the department investigates claims that he refused to respond to a call for help from the local Planned Parenthood clinic due to its support for Black Lives Matter.
Planned Parenthood staff said that they called the police department on Friday after an individual kicked the door multiple times while trying to get in the building.
"According to Planned Parenthood, after the responding officer found out a Black Lives Matter sign in the window belonged to the organization the officer berated the staff for supporting the movement and left after refusing to respond to the call," WKBW reported.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the West Seneca Police Department confirmed that the incident is being investigated.
"We have been in contact with the Administrative Staff from Planned Parenthood and are conducting a joint investigation into incident and allegations made regarding the demeanor of an officer who responded to the situation," the department stated. "The officer in question has been suspended from duty pending the outcome of this investigation."
"We ask that interested parties allow us to work with Planned Parenthood and give us an opportunity to compile specifics as to what occurred so we can make corrective measures as the facts dictate," the statement added.
It was not immediately clear if the officer will be paid during his suspension.