A Springfield, Illinois police officer has resigned after he was revealed to be responsible for a rash of bigoted social media posts. Former officer Aaron Paul Nichols resigned from the Springfield Police Department shortly after it was announced his department would be investigating the posts.
Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette said on Wednesday Nichols did not dispute the accusations against him for the "despicable" posts before resigning from the department where he had served for 18 years.
You can view local WCIA CBS 3 news coverage below:
Scarlette said on Tuesday:
"I think the posts that I read are not the individual that I thought I knew."
"It’s clear the posts are just despicable, deplorable."
"I mean, they make my stomach hurt just thinking about them."
The Springfield police chief also said he started the process to decertify Nichols as a law enforcement officer.
This would prevent him from becoming a law enforcement officer again anywhere in Illinois.
"In my opinion, he should not be a certified police officer in the state of Illinois as a result of this egregious actions that were uncovered."
Anti-fascist researchers at Anonymous Comrades Collective released information about the posts and who made them online.
A statement from Chief Scarlette was shared on Facebook:
The posts allegedly made by Nichols included violent antisemitism, racism, racial slurs and various forms of bigotry, including the phrase "Hitler did nothing wrong" and threats agains Jewish and Black people.
NEW: A cop in Springfield, Illinois has resigned after researchers w/ @AnonCommieStan identified white supremacist posts he made on social media.\n\n"I am a supporter of as many holocausts as it takes to cleanse this world of talmudic influence,\u201d one read.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/illinois-cop-resigns-after-white-supremacist-posts-surface-online_n_624b0e7ee4b068157f7a8e81?vqw\u00a0\u2026— Sebastian Murdock (@Sebastian Murdock) 1649196374
"When I seize power, 'hate crimes' will be encouraged," veteran police officer Aaron Paul Nichols posted on Gab. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/illinois-cop-resigns-after-white-supremacist-posts-surface-online_n_624b0e7ee4b068157f7a8e81?utm_campaign=share_twitter&ncid=engmodushpmg00000004\u00a0\u2026 # via @HuffPost— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sherrilyn Ifill) 1649210800
Springfield, Illinois Veteran Cop Aaron Nichols Resigns After His White Supremacist post were surfaced by Anonymous Comrades Collective (ACC): one post states \n\u201dIf I found a genie and I had one wish? The Jews would be a distant memory in 72 hours\u201dhttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/illinois-cop-resigns-after-white-supremacist-posts-surface-online_n_624b0e7ee4b068157f7a8e81\u00a0\u2026— Yogi Thomas \ud83d\udfe1 (@Yogi Thomas \ud83d\udfe1) 1649209066
Springfield Black Lives Matter co-president Sunshine Clemmons said a full investigation into Nichols, as well as the whole department, was necessary.
Clemmons told WCIA CBS 3:
"We offered praise for moving as quickly as [Scarlette] did."
"So I think that’s, you know, genuine recognition that should be that should be pointed out, but there are also some hard questions that need to be answered."
"One of which is what are you doing to ensure that you don’t have any officers that are still on your force that feel that way?"
Many on Twitter also called for a full investigation into Nichols' behavior over his last 18 years as a police officer, as well as an examination of police forces across the United States to eliminate White supremacy and White nationalism from their ranks.
What's missing from this story is a statement from police unions,across the country, acknowledging that there are many officers like this and pledging to purge them from the police forces.https://bit.ly/36WRIWc— Jimmy Malone, Liberal & Ultra-Masker (@Jimmy Malone, Liberal & Ultra-Masker) 1649239687
Your friendly neighborhood white supremacist with a gun and a badge. His Arrests must be reviewed\n\nIllinois Police Officer Resigns After White Supremacist Posts Surface Onlinehttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/illinois-cop-resigns-after-white-supremacist-posts-surface-online_n_624b0e7ee4b068157f7a8e81\u00a0\u2026— pankhurst\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\u2764\ud83d\udc36\ud83d\udc18\ud83d\udc3b\ud83d\udc0b\ud83c\udf33\ud83e\uddec\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89 (@pankhurst\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\u2764\ud83d\udc36\ud83d\udc18\ud83d\udc3b\ud83d\udc0b\ud83c\udf33\ud83e\uddec\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89) 1649263217
newsone: Illinois Cop Resigns After White Supremacist Social Media Posts Exposed. Yes, Shocking, We Know\n\nHopefully, he isn't just hired by some other police department\u2014hopefully. \nhttps://bit.ly/3jmBFU1\u00a0 https://bit.ly/3je7GxR— Blacktropolis (@Blacktropolis) 1649359338
This racist man had sworn to serve and to protect for about 20 years. \n\nIllinois Police Officer Resigns After White Supremacist Posts Surface Onlinehttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/illinois-police-officer-resigns-after-white-supremacist-posts-surface-online/ar-AAVTuUe?li=BBnb7Kz\u00a0\u2026— Tim Campbell\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Tim Campbell\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1649197318
They are going to have to investigate and probably overturn every single arrest of any and all people of color he made as a cop. And he resigned, so he'll just find another department elsewhere that doesn't have an issue with it. There are many.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/illinois-cop-resigns-after-white-supremacist-posts-surface-online_n_624b0e7ee4b068157f7a8e81?utm_campaign=share_twitter&ncid=engmodushpmg00000004\u00a0\u2026— Sara Ren\u00e9e (@Sara Ren\u00e9e) 1649219920
18 years hired to protect and serve all citizens and this is how he really feels. How can someone like this, authorized to use deadly force, treat everyone with respect and dignity? This is terrifying!https://www.huffpost.com/entry/illinois-cop-resigns-after-white-supremacist-posts-surface-online_n_624b0e7ee4b068157f7a8e81\u00a0\u2026— Oracle2010 (@Oracle2010) 1649220810
This is why we need the training and oversight that many folks whine about as \u201cwoke.\u201d People complain about bias in the media, but ignore the bias in law enforcement that can have lethal consequences.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/illinois-cop-resigns-after-white-supremacist-posts-surface-online_n_624b0e7ee4b068157f7a8e81\u00a0\u2026— Jeffrey Reddick \ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc7b (@Jeffrey Reddick \ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc7b) 1649206212
Others were concerned about Nichols receiving full benefits and pension or going to work in another department.
Resigns so he\u2019ll probably get benefits and pension.— \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0fCynfulfan\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0fCynfulfan\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1649255210
They always do.— Derrick Shull (@Derrick Shull) 1649367118
Illinois State Democratic Senator Doris Turner—who represents Springfield—said:
“The things that were said were horrific."
"We hope that no one who holds a position of public trust holds those views."
“But, unfortunately, we know that those things happen.”
A 2006 FBI report raised serious concerns about the rise of White supremacist and White nationalist extremism in law enforcement.
The full, unredacted report was not released until 2020—after the murder of George Floyd by then Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
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