The St. Louis County government congratulated the dispatcher who used a racial slur over the radio on his recent retirement in their February newsletter.
Mark Peeler, who is St. Louis County Police Chief Mary Barton’s brother-in-law, was listed along with 17 other retiring county employees under the message, “We honor your passion and dedication to St. Louis County government.”
While the newsletter was dedicated to Black History Month, Peeler left the department after he was overheard using the n-word on the police radio. He is believed to have used it in reference to another employee.
Peeler’s last day was Jan. 19 — 10 days after he was heard using the slur on the radio, but it was never publicly clear whether he resigned or was fired.
The police department did not release Peeler’s name, however the St. Louis Post-Dispatch identified him in a story when the incident was initially reported on.
The Ethical Society of Police called out Barton and the department for not taking quicker action and firing Peeler after he used the racial slur.Â
On Tuesday, ESOP released another statement regarding the newsletter.
“Peeler’s actions should have resulted in a swift termination, strong and public reprimanding, and meaningful action to prevent similar racists acts in the future,” ESOP wrote. “SLCPD failed on all three of these counts and the St Louis County government office now is irresponsibly following suit.”
The county’s HR director, Susan Daniels, sends out the monthly newsletter. She could not immediately be reached for comment.Â
Three days after Peeler was heard using a racial slur on the police radio Jan. 9, Millicent Williams sued St. Louis County for refusing to produce the police dispatch recording of the employee using the racial slur.Â
The 30-minute recording can be heard online at https://bit.ly/39TtiKE. Approximately 19 minutes and 18 seconds into the recording a man can be heard whispering the f-word followed by the plural form of the n-word.