He did not discuss the specific nature of the posts, but said he and the board view the matter as one that needs to be investigated. He earlier worked with the Detroit and Southfield police departments.Huth said the township was made aware Thursday of social media posts that were linked to Shelide. The chief has been in law enforcement 34 years, including more than five heading Shelby's force. One woman called in to say Shelide 'is not a racist' and is respected. He said he doesn't think Shelide supports police brutality and he has confidence in Shelide's integrity. He said Shelide brought progressive growth to the department, including up-to-date technology. 'I'm angry and I'm ashamed for my township,' said a woman who said she has lived in the township nearly 45 years.Īnother resident of 21 years, who is African American, said Shelide's comments are racially biased and unacceptable and added: 'This man must go.'Ībout 10 people spoke in support of Shelide, including a township police detective who is a resident.

These were among residents' comments during Friday's lengthy meeting, according to the Freep:

I've been doing this job since I was a kid,' he said after the board heard more than three hours of public comments about whether he should stay or go. Shelide pleaded with the board to keep his job, the Detroit News reports, telling members 'I am not a racist.'

He apologized for the comments shortly after they surfaced. Oh, on another note, I dare you to try and drag me out of my vehicle.'. In another tweet about looters in New York City, he wrote: “Wild savages. I have a better idea: unleash the real cops and let them take care of these barbarians. Using the Twitter account Shelide wrote: “Trump threatening to deploy the military. “At worst, the terms can be perceived to be racially insensitive and derogatory.” The posts glorifying police brutality 'are, at the very least, unprofessional,” Stathakis wrote in a nine-page document quoted by WXYZ. The 52-year-old chief had been on paid leave since June 4, the day images of about a half-dozen tweets appeared on Facebook. On Tuesday night, the supervisor said the chief should be dismissed because he 'clearly cannot be trusted to enforce the law impartially.' Stathakis and Trustee Vince Viviano voted against the motion. Robert Shelide: My record speaks to the commitment and professionalism that I have exhibited for more than 30 years without incident, both of which were compromised by my emotion.' (Photo: YouTube)

Shelby township police