CLARK COUNTY — A local sheriff’s office lieutenant has issued an apology after saying he would not protect people who voted for Kamala Harris on social media.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, Clark County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant John Rodgers posted on social media saying he would factor in a person’s voting record, in regard to the presidential race, when responding to calls. Some of those posts have been shared more than 250,000 times.
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Rodgers currently serves as the Road Patrol Supervisor and has worked for the Sheriff’s Office for more than 20 years.
In a series of posts, Rodgers said things like “I am sorry. If you support the Democrat Party I will not help you” and “The problem is that I know which of you supports the Democratic Party and I will not help you survive the end of days.”
On Friday, Rodgers issued a statement apologizing to the community, the sheriff’s office, his colleagues, and his family.
“I know I cannot apologize enough, and my apologies may seem empty, but I will continue to apologize as long as necessary,” he said in the statement.
Later in the statement, Rodger said, “I know it will be difficult for the public to trust me, but I will do everything in my power to start mending that trust. I apologize from the bottom of my heart and want to ensure our community I will always serve to the best of my ability and strive to do better. I want to ensure the citizens in our community that I have always treated everyone with dignity and respect no matter our differences and will strive to show them I can do better.”
See below to read Rodgers’ full statement:
Clark County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Young shared a statement with News Center 7 about their investigation into the posts.
“It is understood that while these comments are highly inappropriate, they in no means reflect the Clark County Sheriff’s Office delivery of service to ALL our community and does not reflect the mission and values of the Sheriff’s Office. The community has a right to be upset over the actions of Lt. Rodgers and he, as well as the Sheriff’s Office in general, will have to work even harder to replenish the trust of members of our community,” the statement read in part.
The statement referenced a possible medical issue involved in Rodgers’ actions.
News Center 7 also obtained the investigative file and discovered in an inter-office communication with supervisors, Rodgers wrote, “I do not remember writing these posts or deleting any posts.”
Rodgers wrote that he had been prescribed sleep aids by his doctor to help with a sleeping disorder.
“It does cause some of my communication to be ‘out of character’ which is a documented side effect,” Rodgers wrote.
The department apologized for Rodgers’ behavior and said he received a written reprimand for a violation of the department’s social media policy and will remain on duty.
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