Officer suspended after dashcam audio reveals use of racial slur in police chase

MELBOURNE, Fla. — A police dash camera recording of a Melbourne police officer is at the center of an internal investigation.

In a nearly 23-minute clip released by the department, the officer reportedly said: "Stay in the car, [expletive]. Don't get out of the car!" The expletive sounds like a racial slur.

The dash camera captured a driver racing through south Melbourne on Sunday, exceeding speeds of 100 mph.

Vince White, 30, is facing a number of charges including aggravated feeling and eluding.

But something else the dash camera captured, which sounds like a racial slur, led to the officer's suspension.

After listening to the audio, Melbourne Police Chief Davis Gillespie placed the officer, whose name has not been released, on paid administrative leave.

"We will not tolerate anything that is racially motivated, racial profiling, things that are insensitive, whether it's sexual discrimination or anything of the like," Gillespie said.

Gillespie said that this particular incident is still the subject of an ongoing internal affairs investigation.

It's a move the South Brevard NAACP said it supports and added the offensive word heard in the audio has been used too frequently, by too many people, for all the wrong reasons.

"It hurts me coming from anyone. When I was young, it was used very bad. It brought anger, hate and all those negative feelings to the person it was directed to," said James Minus, of South Brevard NAACP.

"In all cases, we are going to be accountable, and I will hold people accountable for what we say and do," Gillespie said.

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Cox Media Group