Norman officer will keep job despite racist email about virus masks

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — A department spokeswoman says that an Oklahoma police officer will keep his job after being disciplined for responding to an email about department-issued coronavirus protective masks by sending racist images of people with white bags over their faces carrying torches, reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan preparing to lynch black victims.

The Norman police department didn’t reveal the extent of Officer Jacob McDonough’s discipline in Wednesday’s announcement, citing a state statute that allows a public body to keep personnel records confidential.

The news comes after the department’s internal affairs division investigated the May 5th email that McDonough sent to about 250 colleagues.