Michael Brown’s death has become very profitable for police officers in Ferguson and St. Louis.
But actually coming out and saying it has put one Missouri cop under the crosshairs of investigators.
One St. Louis County cop is in trouble after he joked about spending his “annual Michael Brown bonus” in a Facebook post.
The St. Louis Business Journal has reported that St. Louis County spent $2.5 million in overtime pay for cops in 2014 due to unrest, demonstrations and riots.
Officer Todd J. Bakula said he took his wife on vacation with his OT pay, he claimed in a recent social media post along with photos from nearby Defiance, Mo.:
“I decided to spend my annual Michael Brown bonus on a nice relaxing bicycle ride trip to Defiance,” Bakula said under the name TJ Thekoola, according to The Guardian. “Eating dinner now and staying at a bed and breakfast tonight.”
Brown was shot and killed after allegedly making aggressive and violent moves at then Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. A St. Louis County refused to indict Wilson; nevertheless, he resigned from the force and admits that he now lives in seclusion and fear.
Wilson’s exoneration incited intense demonstrations and riots, requiring police from throughout the state and National Guard troops to come into the small suburban city to restore order
As far as the imprudent comment is concerned, St. Louis County police spokesman confirmed Bakula is a patrolman and that the department is investigating his comments.
“We understand the post is controversial,” police spokesman Shawn McGuire told the Guardian.
“The St. Louis County police department takes these allegations very serious in every case,” McGuire added. “The remarks on the Facebook page will be investigated by our department.”