A white police officer in South Florida faces termination following an unwarranted confrontation with a group of Black men, capping a long history of discipline problems dating back more than a decade, according to reports.
In the latest incident last November, Officer John Giga, a 16-year veteran of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, was accused of getting drunk and instigating a fight with a group of innocent Black people, whom he referred to as “n—ers” after he was rejected by a woman at a local bar.
Later, when confronted by investigators about his use of racial slurs, Giga denied it, saying, “That’s not even in my vocabulary. I don’t – I don’t use that. My girlfriend’s Black. There’s no reason that I would ever use that kind of language.”
Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz immediately recommended Giga for termination as a result of a damning internal affairs probe that wrapped up on June 28.
Previously, a citizens review board concluded on June 10 that Giga should be fired for the repeated incidents, but the police union intervened, urging the Fort Lauderdale city manager and commission to conduct a vote regarding Giga’s future.
Susan Grant, the acting city manager of Fort Lauderdale, released a statement, saying she was still reviewing the findings as well as the chief’s recommendation, but suggested she would not rush to any conclusions in the matter, saying the city “will continue to follow the established disciplinary appeal process.”
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