According to a report by the Washington Times, a Port of Seattle police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave after he made a video on his personal social media account calling his state’s lockdown orders “tyrannical.” The video quickly went viral, leading to Officer Greg Anderson’s suspension. Anderson posted the video on May 7, 2020, on his Instagram account. In uniform, the officer encouraged fellow police officers to “stand up for what’s right” in defiance of state orders which he felt infringed upon constitutional rights during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m seeing people arrested or cited for going to church,” he stated in his video, regarding lockdown orders for the state of Washington. He further added, “I don’t know what crime people are committing for doing nails in their own house. We have to ask ourselves as officers, is what I am doing right?” The entire post was filmed inside his patrol car. In it, he praised his department for sharing his opinions on the issue. However, on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, following hundreds of thousands of views of Officer Anderson’s video, a spokesman for the Port of Seattle Police identified that Anderson was now on paid administrative leave pending further investigation.
Video: Instagram/granderson33
Since this incident, a post to the Port of Seattle Police Department’s Facebook page by Police Chief Rod Covey stated that while Officer Anderson had his respect as “a good police officer and an exceptional American,” it was felt that a line was crossed when the officer filmed the video in uniform inside his patrol car. Although the officer had previously spoken to his Chief regarding his concerns on the state’s lockdown orders, and he’s been free to express his personal opinions “like all other Americans,” the Chief claimed that the direction Officer Anderson took was outside of “well-established policy.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for Officer Anderson’s support. View the GoFundMe here.
Video: Instagram/granderson33
Officer Anderson posted a follow-up video to his personal Instagram account, stating, “…I have been placed on administrative leave (still being paid) pending investigation. I was told by both the agency and my union that this will result in termination due to it being an insubordination charge for refusing to take down the video. I’m not sure what the timeline looks like. I walk un-intimidated into the fray. Thank you for all the support…” His second video regarding the state of Washington’s lockdown orders and the repercussions he’s experienced from his viral video share has been viewed more than 360 thousand times, producing words of encouragement and praise.