‘WE MISSED IT’

Indiana Cop Fired for Racist Comments on Neo-Nazi Forum

The Lafayette police chief can’t explain how a background check on Joseph Zacharek missed the red flags.

An Indiana police officer was fired on Saturday after he allegedly admitted being behind racist comments on a defunct neo-Nazi forum that were exposed on social media. And now the Lafayette Police Department is struggling to explain how Joseph Zacharek’s postings on Iron March didn’t come to light during a background check before he was hired in June. “How is it possible and how do we prevent this from ever happening again? I’m not going to sugar-coat this. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility. We missed it,” Chief Pat Flannelly told the Journal & Courier. Zacharek’s comments, which made reference to “vile” African culture and Jewish control of the economy, were part of Iron March’s database, which was obtained and posted by antifascists last year, the newspaper reported. Zacharek had not publicly commented on the situation.