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Retired Police Officer Under Fire For Racist Facebook Photo

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A retired Baltimore City police officer is accused of posting a derogatory and racist photo on Facebook.

Vic Carter reports the Baltimore City police department is reacting as other officers are outraged by it.

The photo---which we blurred because many will find it offensive---shows African-American men on a car during a protest in Ferguson over the death of teenager Michael Brown juxtaposed with a similar derogatory photo.

The Baltimore City police department learned of the photo because it was posted on Facebook and shared with friends of the department.

Baltimore City Police Commissioner Anthony Batts is aware of the photo and the department has reacted.

"There's a picture that's circulating on social media right now that a number of people have tried to link to the agency. We want to be absolutely crystal clear here: it's an offensive picture; it doesn't represent the values and the ethics of this police department. The person who posted that picture has no affiliation with the police department. It doesn't represent who we're about. We listen to the community; we saw that we were out of the line with the community and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that the police department is an equal partner with the people that we're here to serve," said Lt. Eric Kowalczyk.

The NAACP says they are disgusted by the photo and the officer who posted it. They say they're glad he's retired.

The former officer did not respond to a request for comment.

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