Santa Fe police union leader put on desk duty after "All Lives Splatter" Facebook post

The head of the Santa Fe police officers union was put on restricted desk duty Tuesday after Saturday’s racial violence in Charlottesville, Va., brought renewed attention to a cartoon image he had shared on Facebook in February that depicted a car running over protesters.

“All lives splatter,” was the headline on the image posted by Sgt. Troy Baker, an apparent reference to the Black Lives Matter movement that seeks to draw attention to police shootings of African-Americans.

Police Chief Patrick Gallagher on Tuesday told the city’s Public Safety Committee that his decision to put Baker on restricted desk duty was in the best interest of the department and the public after the events in Charlottesville triggered more questions about Baker, said City Councilor Chis Rivera, who chairs the advisory panel.

Gallagher in February opened an internal affairs investigation into Baker after the Santa Fe Reporter published various offensive memes about minorities, women and immigrants that Baker had shared on Facebook over the years.

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