Detroit officer accused of racist online posts retires

DETROIT (WJBK) - A veteran Detroit Police Officer accused of writing racist comments online responded to the allegations Thursday.

Officer Daniel Wolff, who spent 21 years on the force, allegedly referred to citizens in Detroit as garbage in a Facebook post.

"That given the egregious nature of what he said and social media about the people we serve and protect that he needed to make a public apology," Detroit Police Chief James Craig said.

Wolff apologized in a letter stating that he meant the criminal element when using the word garbage.

"But if that was the case certainly he could've specified that in his earlier comments," Craig said.

There were other allegations that caused grave concern.

"There were some other issues he addressed like throughout his career on occasion, using excessive force against individuals. That's criminal. There was no mention in his apology about that. That's criminal conduct, and if we could have proved it, we certainly would have investigated it," Craig said.

To avoid any further investigation or punishment, Wolff decided to retire.

At this point, Craig says he cannot pursue the case any further since Wolff is no longer on the force.

Wolff had been off work due to a disability.

Craig says he will double check, but it doesn't appear to have been any complaints or disciplinary action brought against Wolff in the past for similar allegations.

He says that had the veteran not retired, he would have likely been fired and faced charges.

Craig also responded Thursday to complaints that claim African-American officers have been treated in a bias matter, and faced retaliation if they spoke up.

"I'm not dismissive that are not race issues or implicit bias that exist. They exist everywhere in America. However, we take those issues very seriously," he said.

The chief talked about CORE, The Committee on Race and Equality that has 15 officers in various rankings.

The committee formed early last year and is focused on to talking to police officers and addressing their concerns.

"Since CORE started, certainly I would have to say it is better," Craig said.