Louisville jail officer fired over spoof recruitment ad saying police can ‘kill people and get off for it’

Union president says footage is ‘absolutely horrible and there is no place in uniform for anyone that would do something so insensitive’

A Louisville Metro Corrections officer has allegedly been terminated for a spoof police recruitment video in which he mentioned Breonna Taylor and asked prospective candidates if they “want to kill people and be able to get off for it”.

The President of the Louisville Corrections Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 77 Daniel Johnson said the video featuring officer Turhan Knight was “absolutely horrible”.

Mr Knight, who says he wasn’t fired but that his departure was preplanned, appears to be leading a mock recruitment ad for the Louisville Metro Police Department in the footage.

He appears to pretend to be a member of the force, asking people to join up.

“Answer the call,” he says. “Be a part of a great, great police department. Never mind what happened to Breonna Taylor. We killed that b****.

“Do you want to kill people and be able to get off for it? Join Louisville Metro Police Department and answer the call,” he added.

“The video was absolutely horrible and there is no place in uniform for anyone that would do something so insensitive,” Mr Johnson said in a statement on Friday, according to WDRB. “We believe the termination was absolutely justified and was the right decision. Knight’s views and opinions of LMPD do not reflect those of FOP Lodge 77. There will be no appeal from the FOP on his termination and we are glad to see the department take quick action to end his employment.”

Greg Fischer, the mayor of Louisville Metro, said “there is zero excuse for his insensitivity”.

“He has brought great shame upon Metro Corrections and all of Louisville Metro Government,” he added. “I deeply apologize to the family of Breonna Taylor and all of the hard-working and ethical employees of Louisville Metro Government. One person will not tarnish the good work we attempt to do on behalf of our residents.”

Ms Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer said she thinks the video “is in very poor taste and am disgusted that he thought a joke about my daughter’s death was a laughable moment”, according to WDRB.

The local outlet noted that it had “obtained the video from an elected official”.

City and jail representatives said the video was filmed at the Kentucky State Fair, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.

Mr Knight started at Metro Corrections in 2018.

According to the local paper, Mr Knight has said that he was planning on leaving the agency and that he didn’t receive termination papers as he was set to finish his job around the same time as the video became public.

Ms Taylor was 26 years old when she was killed by LMPD officers in March 2020, prompting substantial protests in the city and across the US. Four previous police officials are facing charges on the federal level, with one of them, Officer Kelly Goodlett, pleading guilty last week to one count of conspiring to violate her civil rights.

She admitted to falsifying an affidavit to search Ms Taylor’s residence.

Mr Knight was no longer employed by the jail on Thursday. He told the Courier-Journal on Friday that that day was set to be his last on the job and that he was hiring an attorney.

He said the footage was a joke outlining how he felt about the police department and how “some officers handled past situations”.

He added that he was “deeply remorseful” and didn’t mean any offence, saying that he has connections to the family of Ms Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker who was present when she was killed.

In a statement on Saturday, Mr Knight apologized a second time to Ms Taylor’s family, and to his own relatives, and other members of law enforcement.

He added that he hadn’t been fired, saying that he had announced his departure three weeks before.

“I should have received punishment I don’t deny that, but blatant lies told against me to look good for media purposes is just wrong,” he said.

He added that he would have a lawyer reveal further information at a later date.

“I hope that I can be forgiven, I pray I will. I made a terrible decision, there aren’t enough apologies that I can give right now but I am deeply remorseful,” he said.

Metro Corrections issued a statement on Thursday saying that “Director [Jerry] Collins was disgusted by the content of the video and moved as quickly as possible to terminate Knight”.

“Knight’s behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the professionalism and spirit of service that we strive for at LMDC,” the department added, according to the Courier Journal.