Looking for fun events? Top 5 things to do around Tallahassee

Tallahassee Police sergeant demoted, disciplined after Black Lives Matter mural post

TaMaryn Waters
Tallahassee Democrat
City workers finish painting a Black Lives Matter mural in the intersection of Gaines Street and Railroad Avenue Wednesday, July 8, 2020.

A Tallahassee Police Department sergeant has been suspended and demoted following a social media post where he derided the city-backed "Black Lives Matter" mural in the Gaines Street District. 

Sgt. Gavin Larramore, a 17-year veteran on the police force, was initially placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation after a Facebook post on July 9 calling protesters a “mob of thugs” and criminals. 

The post also chides the local protesters as a “gang of anti-anyone not black racists who encourage murdering police officers nationwide.”

In a statement, TPD Chief Lawrence Revell said Internal Affairs concluded its investigation of "a questionable social media post made by a member of the Tallahassee Police Department." 

More:Tallahassee Police sergeant on leave for 'questionable' social media post about mural, protests

"The findings substantiated violations of TPD social media policies and rules of conduct. Based on this conclusion, the officer has been placed on an 80-hour unpaid suspension and is being demoted," he said. "Additionally, he will be required to undergo counseling."

A city spokesman said Larramore was demoted from sergeant to officer.

Larramore submitted a rebuttal letter to the chief expressing his disappointment with the disciplinary action and his "private conversation did not violate any policies."

"My statement was made off-duty as a civilian and was fully protected by my First Amendment rights," Larramore wrote. "I merely discussed how officers and civilians were attacked and (law enforcement officer) families were threatened by numerous members of a violent political group. While there are certainly some law-abiding members of Black Lives Matter, there are nonetheless numerous individuals associated with that organization nationwide who are intent on being destructive and violent."

With 17 years at TPD, Larremore has worked as a patrol supervisor on the SWAT Team and a federal fugitives task force.

On May 30, Larramore was among the first to arrive on scene when a truck sped through a crowd of BLM protesters in downtown Tallahassee. The incident report written by Larramore pointed to the "hostile" nature of protesters and said the driver attempted to avoid protesters.

Back story:Tallahassee's top prosecutor won't pursue charges against man who drove truck through marchers

State Attorney Jack Campbell said prosecutors did not rely on any one incident report and mainly focused on videos from the scene to determine the driver shouldn't be charged.

Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter. 

Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat.