HPD officer leaves department over racist social media posts

HOUSTON - Another Houston Police officer is no longer with the department after accusations of racist remarks and social media posts.

HPD officer Chad Ellis has now retired after first being relieved of duty pending an investigation. He is accused of not only making racially offensive social media posts but also allegedly openly criticizing the Chief for being compassionate to people who were marching for George Floyd.

While most were applauding Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo for being right there with hurting Houstonians marching for justice earlier this month, it allegedly made one officer so angry he supposedly openly ranted about it. "I did that for our community and I did that for our men and women. I wanted to help bridge that gap,” explains Chief Acevedo.

RELATED: HPD officer under internal investigation & relieved of duty after racist social media rant

That same senior officer who worked in HPD's Gang Division supposedly also said “The Minneapolis Police Officer was only doing what Kaepernick told him to do, kneel” and the officer is accused of posting images on Facebook of people in blackface. A colleague who made the accusations say the officer was increasingly making racist remarks since the death of George Floyd and “Continuously creates an uncomfortable, hostile and degrading work environment”.

“When you have a majority of your officers being people of color they happen to actually care about race relations. They happen to care about bias and racism.  You never know who's watching but I'm glad we are watching and holding each other accountable,” adds the Chief.

RELATED: Houston Police Chief condemns officer's actions in death of George Floyd

"I'm very proud to see the good apples are coming forward. They're seeing something and they're saying something and they're saying enough is enough,” adds HPD Officer Eric Carr, Community Liaison for the Afro American Police Officer's League.

”If proven true it's very very disheartening. It's very appalling to hear that type of rhetoric come from an active police officer,” says President of the Afro American Police Officer's League DeAndre Hutchison

The officer has now retired after he was first relieved of duty and an investigation was launched.

AAPOL met with the Chief to see if additional diversity training is necessary. The Houston Police Department has a policy on social media. We have diversity training and cultural sensitivity training,” adds Hutchison.

“You can't train hate out of someone's heart. Everyone that's watching this, if they start thinking of their own workplace, their own profession, they're own neighborhood they will probably find we still have a lot of work to do and it may start with the police but it has to end with everyone of us,” says Chief Acevedo.

Just yesterday we told you about a former officer who posted a picture comparing Black people to monkeys. HPD is investigating claims that two current officers also participated, by sharing or commenting, on that post. Also earlier this month a 25-year veteran HPD Sgt. retired after posting a racial rant on Facebook.

FOX 26 wasn't able to reach any of the officers for comment.