The mayor of Belleville has been deluged with emails and phone calls regarding photos posted on Facebook by a city police officer.
Although now deleted from his Facebook page the photos showed Constable Todd Bennett wearing a t-shirt with a Confederate flag on it.
Many consider that flag a symbol of racism against black people.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk, speaking on CJBQ’s Lorne Brooker show, says any form of discrimination is wrong but stresses that local councils do not have the power to discipline police officers.
That responsibility belongs to the city’s Police Services Board and to the provincial government.
Panciuk said it wasn’t for him to declare innocence or guilt and that a serious investigation into the issue was underway but he was clear on how he felt about the big picture.
Constable Bennett has apologized for his actions stressing he didn’t mean to offend anyone.
