Dordrecht cop fined for racism during arrest

A 52-year-old police officer from Dordrecht was fined 250 euros by the court for calling a man a racial slur while arresting him. The cop was found guilty of calling the man the n-word while he was resisting arrest in December, NOS reports.

Officers from the Rotterdam unit wanted to arrest the intoxicated man in December after he insulted one of them. The man tried to flee, getting help from some friends. Video of the incident played in court showed that there was a scuffle, with kicks and blows aimed at the 52-year-old cop. Another cop was also attacked. At this point the 52-year-old cop used the racial slur.

The Public Prosecutor previously wanted to settle this case with a fine, but the cop refused the settlement. He said that in his 21 years as a police officer, he had never experienced "such an intense situation". He admitted that he should not have used the racial slur, but according to him there were extenuating circumstances. "What I said was wrong. I would like to reverse it, this is language I do not use. On the other hand, I am very angry with this man. He has wronged a colleague and myself," the cop said according to regional broadcaster Rijnmond.

The court ruled against the cop. While the situation was serious, the racist language used by the cop was not justifiable, the court said. The cop was fined 250 euros, lower than the 400 euros the Prosecutor demanded. He also has to pay 300 euros in damages to the man he insulted.

The detainee will appear in court on a later date for using violence against the police officers that night.