CHARLESTON, S.C. (CBS Atlanta)– A North Charleston police officer was fired from his position after posting a photo on Facebook featuring the Confederate flag.
WCIV reports the post, which featured the officer wearing Confederate flag boxer shorts, went viral Thursday after it was posted a few days earlier.
The police chief terminated Sgt. Shannon Dildine’s position, saying the photo questioned his ability to improve trust and instill confidence between citizens and officers.
“Your posting in this manner led to you being publicly identified as a North Charleston Police officer and associated both you and the Department with an image that symbolizes hate and oppression to a significant portion of the citizens we are sworn to serve,” Police Chief Eddie Driggers wrote, as reported by WCIV.
Dildine has ten days to make an appeal.
The action comes as the heated debate over Old South symbols continues after last week’s killing of nine worshipers at a black church in Charleston.