AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Police Chief Brian Manley says he missed several opportunities to more quickly address accusations of racist language against an assistant chief and was instead focused on "the process."
"I also recognize I had opportunities along the way to take additional steps sooner, and hindsight being what it is, I see that I missed some of those opportunities," Manley said in an email sent to the department on Monday night.
Allegations against Assistant Police Chief Justin Newsom surfaced earlier this month after complaints were made public that he had repeatedly used the N-word to describe fellow officers, former President Barack Obama and former Austin City Councilmember Ora Houston.
But behind the scenes, Manley has said Newsom flagged him in late September that he might be asked during an arbitration about a text message a fired officer's attorneys thought he sent. Manley has said he did not press Newsom further on what the text message said.
Manley also received an email Oct. 7 from a person who appeared to use a fake name, saying that Newsom used racist language. Newsom has said that he has used "inappropriate language in private conversations with friends."
Manley said he forwarded the message to the Office of Police Oversight so it could reach out to the sender and get more information.
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The chief has been criticized for not immediately addressing the issue with Newsom and for not opening an internal affairs investigation. The gap in time allowed Newsom to retire honorably and receive about $137,000 in unused sick hours.
The City has hired an independent investigator to look into how Manley handled the allegations about Newsom.
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