A California police department announced Friday that it had fired one of its officers for having ties to the extremist group Proud Boys.
Police in Fresno have terminated Rick Fitzgerald’s service following an investigation that began after the officer joined a Proud Boys rally on March 14. Fitzgerald was placed on administrative leave after the incident while the department was investigating, according to a statement the department shared on social media.
– Police in Fresno (@FresnoPolice) 9 April 2021
“It is clear to me that there have been serious violations of the department’s policies,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said in a statement that Fitzgerald had been publicly expelled, according to NBC News.
He continued: “I am glad that Officer Fitzgerald will no longer serve as a police officer in the city of Fresno.”
Police Chief Paco Balderrama denounced Fitzgerald’s participation in the fringe group’s counter-demonstration of a pro-LGBT protest and said he did not want an officer in the staff associated with the Proud Boys.
“I stand by and reaffirm my previous comments, because I approve of any police officer associated with hate groups,” he said. “The integrity and legitimacy of our police department must be maintained.”
Several members of the Proud Boys, identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, were arrested for their role in the January 6 Capitol uprising.