A Naples police officer is off the job for good in the shadow of questionable Facebook posts. Charles Ankenbauer, a 20-year veteran of the Naples Police Department, retired after learning of internal investigation into a post that some consider racist.
In July, Ankenbauer shared a video on Facebook of Black Lives Matter protesters yelling at a TV reporter, and added the comment, "animals." A citizen notified Police Chief Tom Weschler, expressing concern over Ankerbauer's comments.
The Naples Police Department began an internal investigation into the comments. Ankenbauer later posted on Facebook that he was forced to retire after regarding the "animals" remark.
Naples PD has a policy regarding the social media of its officers, prohibiting "statements that ridicule, malignm disparage or otherwise express bias against any race, any religion, or any protected class of individuals."
Fox 4 checked with other law enforcement agencies in Southwest Florida, including the Cape Coral Police Department and the Lee and Collier County Sheriff's Offices. All responded that they have similar policies in place regarding their officers' social media posts.
Ankenbauer continues to be outspoken on Facebook, referring to some of his critics as "over-sensitive, brainwashed liberals. If you don't agree with them, you're a racist, bad cop. Retirement is great. Good luck to my fellow officers in the future of the anti-police movement."
