In a police report, Officer Tony Koutsos was stated as having used a racial slur during a conversation with a former Mauldin High School student he was on friendly terms with at a 2019 student sporting event while in uniform.
The language was overheard by parents in the stands and reported.
In a record of disciplinary action from Mauldin Police, it was stated that, despite the friendly relationship between the officer and the former student, the language can still be very offensive to those around them and “will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
“Racial slurs have no place in a professional work environment, and certainly not for a uniformed police officer; and again, certainly not for a school resource officer,” said Greenville Black Lives Matter activist Derrick Quarles speaking at a press conference just outside Mauldin City Hall Thursday afternoon.
Greenville Black Lives Matter activist Bruce Wilson reciprocated this belief, calling for the immediate termination of the officer.
Wilson and Quarles also explained the difficulties they had to go in receiving the full personnel file of Officer Koutsos through a Freedom of Information request following the event.
Wilson continued during the press conference explaining the impact and importance of language used by public figures such as police officers and stating that racial slurs, despite any friendly context, should not be tolerated.
In response to the use of the racial slur, Greenville County Schools has also stated that they have cut all professional ties with Officer Koutsos, an action Wilson commended.
