Jessica Anderson
The Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE — A Baltimore Police officer was captured on video appearing to jokingly cough on a woman filming him as he passes her outside Perkins Homes housing complex in East Baltimore.
The Instagram video shows a woman call out to the uniformed officer, who, as he passes her on the sidewalk, coughs toward her.
“The Baltimore Police Department has become aware of a recent social media video that depicted a police sergeant apparently coughing near citizens,” police spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge said in a statement
“We have viewed the video, in its entirety, and believe it warranted being forwarded to the Public Integrity Bureau for an internal investigation.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-r1casHR0V/?igshid=9xd56ot8c7fv
The woman continues filming the officer as he passes, and she tells the white officer she isn’t worried, saying white people are more likely to get sick with COVD-19.
“They the ones that get that [expletive]. You need an extra layer of skin,” she tells the officer who continues walking past her.
Lawmakers have been lobbying for a racial breakdown of COVID-19 cases in the state to determine potential racial disparities. Some cities, like Chicago which is majority black, has reported the majority of confirmed cases are among black residents.
“Come here coughing like that [expletive] is cute. I should call the CDC on his ass and let them know he did some dirty [expletive].”
The woman then calls out to him, “You ain’t going to infect nobody but your coworkers.”
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced on Tuesday that more than 300 officers have been quarantined since the beginning of the pandemic, including 12 which have tested positive. As of Tuesday, he said 115 were still quarantined.
On Saturday, the department announced the temporary closure of the Southwestern District after an officer had tested positive for COVD-19. Harrison said three of the department’s confirmed cases were personnel assigned to that district.