St. Louis County police are investigating a reported Facebook comment by one of their officers who reportedly bragged about spending extra income earned while working in Ferguson, Mo., on the one-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, The Guardian reports.
Todd J. Bakula, also known as “T.J.," appeared to be bragging about spending extra money earned as part of a major police response to anniversary demonstrations in memory of Brown, the unarmed black teen who was gunned down a year ago by a white Ferguson officer, the report says.
“I decided to spend my annual Michael Brown bonus on a nice relaxing bicycle ride trip to Defiance,” a Missouri recreation destination about 40 miles from Ferguson, Bakula wrote on his personal Facebook page under the name T.J. Thekoola, according to The Guardian. “Eating dinner now and staying at a bed and breakfast tonight.”
Shawn McGuire, a St. Louis County police media relations officer, confirmed for The Guardian that Bakula works for the department. The Facebook remarks “will be investigated by our department,” McGuire said in an email to the Guardian.
The South County Times reported in January that St. Louis County police had worked 121,935 hours since the shooting, which reached about $3.9 million in overtime and $1.2 million in "fringe benefits."
Read more at The Guardian and the South County Times.