Pennsylvania police chief apologizes for using n-word: ‘I am truly sorry’

FARRELL, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania police chief is apologizing for using a racial slur in a fundraising email...

FARRELL, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania police chief is apologizing for using a racial slur in a fundraising email.

Farrell Police Chief Thomas Burke, who is white, says he is “truly sorry” for using a slur to describe a neighboring town’s black residents earlier this year.

Burke’s apology Monday came a week after he was sworn in as the city’s new police chief. He’s to start the job in January.

The email was sent in April to about 20 people. Burke was trying to raise money for a book drive and used a slur when saying black people in nearby Sharon “gotta learn how to read.”

WPXI-TV says city leaders are planning a forum next week for the community to voice concerns and ask questions about the controversy.

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