Monongahela officials mum on officer’s alleged use of slur
City officials in Monongahela have not yet released any official findings, disciplinary measures, or the identification of the police officer who was recorded directing a homophobic slur at a 15-year-old male during a confrontation earlier this month.
The incident drew widespread attention on social media after the teen’s mother shared cellphone video of the encounter on Facebook, and residents raised the issue during a City Council meeting Tuesday.
The footage, recorded by one of the boys who was with the 15-year-old while he stood next to his bicycle, captures the on-duty officer leaning out of the window of his patrol vehicle.
In the clip, the officer can be heard saying to one of the boys, “You keep smirking. When you turn 18, I’ll be glad to put you in jail, you (slur).
The video also recorded the officer allegedly saying, “Yeah, laugh. ‘Cause wait until you get a $500 fine. See how (expletive) funny that is. We’re tired of it.”
The boy’s mother, who declined to provide her name to protect the identity of her minor son, shared that her son and about five other teens had been loitering and making noise outside of the McDonald’s restaurant and the city’s aquatorium. The officer approached the teens after police received complaints about the group.
Neither Monongahela’s mayor nor the police chief have returned multiple phone calls or emails from the Observer-Reporter seeking comment about the incident.
The mother of the teen said she was concerned about how the police officer spoke to the group, saying she believed the officer’s language was unacceptable for an adult in a position of authority.
“There was no need for him to talk to children like that. It was way over the top,” she said.
At the City Council meeting Tuesday, at least one resident voiced support for the officer, and complained that the behavior of teenagers in the city was “out of control.”
“Something needs to be done,” said the resident during the public comment portion of the meeting.
The resident told council members that one of her neighbors retrieved a gun after a group of kids pounded on her door late at night and then “ditched,” and returned later to bang on her door again.
“These kids can get away with murder, and nothing; they don’t get fined. Start fining them, fining the parents, put them in juvie,” the woman said.
Other residents asked about revisiting the city’s 11 p.m. curfew during school months and suggested council consider measures to address children’s behavior.