LITTLE ROCK — After an emotional appeal hearing, the Little Rock Civil Service Commission decided by a split vote Thursday to give police officer David Edgmon his job back.
In reversing his dismissal, commissioners handed him a 30-day suspension.
Edgmon, 24, was fired in August for conduct unbecoming an officer, being intoxicated in public and for engaging in activities that “could result in the justified criticism” of the officer and the police department.
Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas launched an internal investigation after Edgmon was caught on amateur video in March using the term “jigaboo” to a group of young black men in the River Market.
“Everyone makes mistakes, and I know I made a big one that night,” Edgmon told the commission. “All I can ask for is forgiveness and for a second chance.”
On Thursday, Thomas called Edgmon’s behavior embarrassing, saying “I don’t know what part of this inci-dent was becoming of an officer.” Edgmon’s behavior and use of a racial slur is “insulting to our department and to the community.”
On the video, recorded by a group called Ill Legal Productions, Edgmon flashes his police badge after one of the men asks to see it. It’s unclear whether Edgmon, who is not in uniform, mentioned beforehand that he was a police officer.
In subsequent comments to the men, Edgmon uses the racial slur once.
At Thursday’s hearing, Edgmon testified that he didn’t know the word “jigaboo” was a racial slur but conceded he knew the term was derogatory.
Overcome with emotion more than once, Edgmon said the incident and his termination prompted him to make changes in his life, spending more time with his family and refraining from drinking to excess.
“I’ve kind of had an awakening,” he said after he paused to regain his composure. Later, he told the commission that instead of going out drinking with his friends the night the film was made, “I should have been home with my 2-year-old being a dad.”
Edgmon joined the force in January 2009. He was assignedto the downtown patrol unit.
Terry McDaniel, a black fellow officer who was in Edgmon’s rookie class, testified that he never observed Edgmon displaying racial bias and that he had never heard the word “jigaboo” before the incident.
Shelly Edgmon, the officer’s ex-wife, testified that the couple’s divorce had been finalized shortly before the River Market incident and that David Edgmon had been drinking and going out with friends more than usual as he navigated a difficult time.
The couple realized shortly after they split that Shelly Edgmon was pregnant with their second child. The couple already had a 2-year-old. Their second child was born Sept. 16, less than a month after Edgmon was fired.
The commission viewed the 90-second video several times during the hearing. The clip can be found on YouTube.com by searching on the site for “Cop at River Market.”
In the video, Edgmon, dressed in casual attire, asks a group gathered on the sidewalk, “Who’s blowing f****** weed in my face?” referring to marijuana. At one point, Edgmon looks at the camera and waves.
Later in the exchange, Edgmon tells the group with slurred speech to “get that Illegal Productions f****** jigaboo s*** out of my f******face.”
As Edgmon walks away, someone in the crowd can be heard yelling, “That ain’t no way to be a police officer.”
Near the end of the video, voices can be heard discussing whether the word “jigaboo” is racist, and Edgmon can be heard asserting that he’s not racist.
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary defines jigaboo as “negro - often taken to be offensive.” Slang-Dictionary.com defines the term as “a black person. This was originally a racist epithet used by whites since the early years of the 20th century.”
Commission Chairman Jesse Rancifer and commissioner Jeffrey Hildebrand voted against reinstating Edgmon. Commissioners Ronald Routh, Debby Linton and Kay Bartlett voted to have him rejoin the force.
After the hearing, Thomas approached Edgmon, shook his hand and wished him luck.
Edgmon will be paid for the time he was unemployed, minus 30 days for his suspension, and will return to duty immediately, Thomas said. Additional racial-sensitivity training is likely, he said.
Arkansas, Pages 12 on 11/19/2010