SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Shelby Township’s police chief was placed on paid administrative leave during an investigation into alleged comments he made on social media about the George Floyd protests across the country.
UPDATE: Shelby Township trustees vote to suspend police chief
A meeting was held on Tuesday night where the Township Board is expected to decide if chief Robert Shelide will keep his job or not. As of 11 p.m. a decision has not been made. Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the meeting was held via Zoom.
Shelide had a personal Twitter account where he posted inflammatory statements regarding the civil unrest around the country. The township supervisor said that the Tweets were unprofessional and could be considered racially insensitive and derogatory. Shelide has apologized for his actions.
Hundreds of people were on the Zoom call, easily more than half were from out of the township -- which was an issue for people who did live there.
Those who support Shelide view those tweets as directed at rioters and looters. Those who want him fired view the tweets as racist. The township board has brought him up in a variety of charges.
READ: Shelby Township police chief on paid leave over social media comments about George Floyd protests