Ocoee reinstates police officer fired over racial slur

OCOEE – A former lieutenant from the Ocoee Police Department has been reinstated after being fired for using a racial slur in early October.

Ocoee Police Chief Charles Brown chose to fire then-lieutenant William “Bill” Wagner after Wagner violated department policy in late September when he used a racial slur during a casual conversation with a colleague.

According to the report prepared by the department’s internal affairs division, Wagner used the derogatory term to refer to the cellphone photos of his home, which had been damaged by Hurricane Irma.

Wagner had been conversing with another officer at the time of the incident in the rear parking lot of the department. Following Wagner’s use of the term, the fellow officer reported the incident. Wagner is said to have promptly apologized for his use of the slur.

Following an appeal filed by Wagner and about 30 emails from residents opposing Wagner’s termination — as well as one in support of it — Ocoee City Manager Robert Frank held an appeal hearing Nov. 2. The hearing, he said, was to consider the totality of the circumstances surrounding Wagner’s termination and determine whether it would be more appropriate to use a less-severe disciplinary measure.

As the city manager, Frank, who has the authority to overrule the department’s chosen method of discipline, decided that firing Wagner was too extreme a punishment.

Instead of termination, Wagner was disciplined with 120 hours of suspension and demoted from the rank of lieutenant to sergeant — a position which is generally paid $10,000 to $12,000 less than lieutenants, Frank estimated.

“This decision was made by me,” Frank said. “The police chief — he was in the hearing to provide testimony only, but he wasn’t part of the decision. … Part of my decision was the fact that what he did utter was not directed toward any person or anyone in the public, you know, it was just an absurd and foolish comment. It wasn’t meant to intimidate anyone, so that was all part of my decision process.”

Wagner, who has been employed with the department for 19 years, returned to work Monday, Nov. 13. The city considers the month he spent not working following his termination on Oct. 16 as having fulfilled the prescribed 120 hours of suspension.

According to the report prepared by the department’s Internal Affairs Division, there are no similar incidents reported in Wagner’s personnel file.