File photo: Brian Edwards
A North Carolina detention officer was terminated after social media posts he made appeared to violate department policy and drew attention for their political content.Brian Edwards, a detention officer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, was placed on administrative leave on September 20 following posts on his Bluesky account, including one stating, “I am Antifa. And I will never comply with a fascist regime”. The sheriff’s office said it opened an investigation after learning of the posts and confirmed they violated both the agency’s Standards of Conduct and its Speech, Expression and Social Networking policies.As a result of the findings, Edwards was terminated on Monday. He told WRAL he disagrees with how the sheriff’s office handled the situation, adding, “I respect the sheriff’s office, but I disagree with how my situation was handled. I’m focused on moving forward and won’t be commenting further at this time”.Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in a news release, “We must maintain the public trust as we go about our mission to protect, serve, and treat everyone with dignity and respect”.According to Fox News, Edwards began working at the sheriff’s office in 2022 after previously serving as a correctional officer in a state prison in Caswell County. According to the agency, detention officers must navigate more complex legal responsibilities than in state prisons, as many inmates are still facing charges rather than being convicted.Additional posts by Edwards reportedly criticised US President Donald Trump, included a video of a song he performed called “Old Man Trump”, and suggested extreme rhetoric, such as “It may even be time to bring back the guillotine”. Edwards graduated from UNC-Pembroke in 2016 with a political science degree and served as president of the College Democrats. He had been promoted to corporal earlier this year before his termination, according to The News & Observer.The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Edwards’ termination was conducted according to department policy, underscoring the importance of upholding public trust in law enforcement.Edwards’ posts drew attention amid heightened political focus on Antifa, which US President Donald Trump recently designated a “domestic terrorist organisation” following the killing of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk.
