Department officials initially suspended Bostwick after being informed of picture he'd posted on Snapchat Sunday of himself in uniform in a vehicle with a caption that read, "Another night to Rangel [sic] up these zoo animals." He was later dismissed.
Bostwick worked in a predominantly black community.
— Mr. Ernest (@Ernestsworld) September 24, 2018
"He was terminated," Detroit Police Chief James Craig said in a news conference at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters. "This is his last day on our payroll. Tomorrow, he will no longer be a Detroit police officer. He is clear on that."
According to Detroit News, Craig made the announcement several hours after he'd met with Bostwick and a union representative on Monday to address the Snapchat post. "He took responsibility for it. He admitted that he did this. He said he didn't mean it the way it came off," Craig told reporters.
"If you feel that way, you're not welcome here, and we're not going to have any tolerance for this kind of behavior."
Bostwick had been on the force for a total of 18 months, all but two of them spent as a police academy enrollee. According to Craig, Bostwick spent the majority of his time in the academy due to low test scores.
It was because Bostwick was still on a probationary period on the force that Craig was able to act swiftly and remove him from their ranks. Craig revealed that the process would've been different had Bostwick been a tenured officer, Detroit News reported. Bostwick's probationary period, which typically lasts a year, was extended after a commanding officer was concerned about the rookie's "adaptation to training."
"I think any department that hires him will be concerned about this post," Craig said. "I don't think any city would want to take a chance or risk, but that's between him and a potential employer."
Although Bostwick had taken down the post immediately after receiving some backlash, it was too late, as it had already began making the rounds on social media.
