Metro officer’s racist rants are cause for real discipline

Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015 | 2 a.m.

If a middle-aged man takes to Facebook and calls for a “race war” or a “revolution,” most people on the Internet probably wouldn’t notice. There is no shortage of angry — but harmless — commenters online who talk big but don’t have the will or wherewithal to do anything beyond post their opinions.

But what if that commenter were a highly trained police officer whose job was to protect the entire community?

That is the issue facing Metro Police’s top leadership, but judging from their actions so far, they see no difference.

As Mike Blasky reported in The Sunday last week, Metro Police Detective Bobby Kinch wrote inflammatory posts on Facebook, and police brass have done little to nothing about it. Among his posts:

“Let’s just get this over! Race war, Civil, Revolution? Bring it! I’m about as fed up as a man (American, Christian, White, Heterosexual) can get!”

“It’s obviously coming to a boiling point! I say “F*** IT”! I’m ready now! Sooner or later, I would say sooner than later!” He spelled out the profanity in the post.

“Thought I could make a difference, thought it would get better! See the morale fabric of this Country get so trampled I wanna call it! GAME ON! I think we need a cleansing! Just me? What say you?”

The comments infuriated colleagues, who reported them. Metro brass also received a picture of Kinch pointing a gun at a picture of President Barack Obama, which caught the Secret Service’s attention.

But as for Metro’s leadership, this wasn’t cause for serious alarm. Despite one lieutenant calling for Kinch’s dismissal, Metro leaders closed a long investigation by giving Kinch a slap on the wrist, a written reprimand. And Kinch now is back on the job, investigating crimes allegedly committed by minorities.

Kinch told Blasky his comments were taken out of context by people who wanted to hurt him. Kinch said it was “retarded” to think his posts were racist.

We find it difficult to see a context in which such comments are acceptable and not racist. And given that communities across America have struggled with police and racial issues, we would have expected the department’s top brass to show more sensitivity to the situation.

As one Metro officer told Blasky: “What if Kinch shot somebody after saying that stuff, and it got out? You think Michael Brown was bad. This would be worse. You can’t keep (Kinch) on the streets.”

It doesn’t take a super sleuth to figure out how comments like those Kinch made could inflame problems in Las Vegas. The bottom line is the comments of one detective have tainted the entire department and the many good officers who are part of it.

What does Metro’s leadership know that makes such statements acceptable? How should the community accept the work of an officer who spews such bile?

Starting with the new sheriff, Metro’s leadership should provide some answers.