One 'Hot Cop' Who Went Viral Under Investigation for Allegedly Sharing Anti-Semitic Facebook Posts
One Gainesville police officer whose photo went viral during Hurricane Irma is under investigation after anti-semitic posts were allegedly discovered on his Facebook page.
Officer Michael Hamill, 28, is under fire for posts that he appeared to share before he was employed for the Gainesville Police Department, according to The Gainesville Sun.
A 2011 post which appeared to have been written by Hamill read, “so i find it funny that people will talk about how our government needs to do something about our economy and in reality its YOU who needs to stop taking advantage of our system and get a life and so something with your life.”
“Gotta love reality when it hits you in the face,” a post which appeared to be on his Facebook said. “Stupid people annoy me. put them in an oven and deal with them the hitler way. haha”
Another post from 2013, which was shared by Facebook users and attributed to the officer, said “reading jewish jokes before i go to bed would not only make me feel better about myself but also help me to sleep better as well.”
“here is one for everybody,” he continued. “‘What’s the difference between boy scouts and Jews?’ anybody know? well it is because ‘Boy scouts come back from their camps.'”
Attempts by PEOPLE to reach Hamill via his department Thursday and confirm if the posts were his were unsuccessful. The officer’s Facebook page is no longer visible to the public.
While the posts cannot be viewed by the public, a Facebook user shared screenshots of the alleged posts along with the photo that went viral with Hamill’s face circled.
The Sun reported that someone replied to that post, calling it “messed up.” Hamill allegedly replied, “u don’t like it? don’t read it then.”
Gainesville Police Department spokesman Ben Tobias wrote a statement on the department’s Facebook page, saying they were “reviewing the allegation” and that an any information about the complaint was confidential until the investigation was concluded.
PEOPLE has reached out to Tobias for further comment.
Hamill and fellow officers Rengering and Nordman gained attention after the Gainesville Police Department shared a selfie the trio had taken before Hurricane Irma hit the state.
The photo went viral, with thousands of women commenting on the original post calling them “hunkapotumuses” and making mention of calling 911 to ask specifically for them.
The department updated their post asking women not to call 911 unless there was an actual emergency and offering light-hearted information on the officers’ relationship statuses. A “hot cop” calendar was also promised in the updated post.
Hamill told TIME on Wednesday, before news broke about the alleged Facebook posts, that he was shocked by the newfound attention.
“I’ve never had this much attention before,” he said. “It’s an ego boost — very flattering and funny.”
Hamill, who got married last March, said his new wife initially did not enjoy his turn in the spotlight. “My wife, she obviously wasn’t happy at first, but she’s taking it like a champ,” he said.
