The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) is investigating a white lieutenant’s alleged use of an anti-Black slur during a phone call with a 911 radio dispatcher.
Anthony McFadden, a veteran lieutenant of over 30 years with the PPD, has been placed on restricted duty and faces potential disciplinary charges after an audio recording of the late June exchange circulated the internet and was promptly condemned by city officials, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
McFadden is heard during the June 22 call saying “F*** [N-word]” after a brief back and forth with a woman who takes radio calls for the department. McFadden appeared to be seeking assistance in locating an individual’s address or identity, the outlet reported.
Following the discussion, which took place over a private line that the department typically records but does not broadcast, a scanner clip began to spread throughout the department and local community and was brought to the the attention of the city council by the following day.
Councilor Cherelle Parker, who is Black, decried the lieutenant’s statement during a board meeting, explaining that residents had informed her of the incident via text message, according to the outlet.
“The arrogance that it takes to do something like that, the disregard for humanity, and the willingness to embrace that kind of language as second nature, is something that we should continue to have zero tolerance for,” Parker said.
PPD’s Police Board of Inquiry, which comprises a variety of officers in the department, typically determines disciplinary action following such complaints, though the incident must first be investigated by the Internal Affairs bureau, the Inquirer reported.
Communities of color and allies in Philadelphia have worked to hold the department accountable for the actions of several officers in recent years, including 15 officers who were fired alongside several others disciplined in 2019 for bigoted posts on Facebook, the Inquirer reported.
Additionally, the city’s police radio dispatch employees, a majority of whom are Black, have faced low morale amid diminished staffing levels, according to the outlet.
John McNesby, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 – the union representing McFadden and police colleagues – wrote in a statement that the slur “has no place not only among our force, but in every workplace.”
“This incident does not reflect the fact that our officers work hard every day to serve our diverse city with integrity and honor,” he said, according to the Inquirer.
McFadden himself did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by the outlet.
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