The city of Raleigh, North Carolina, reported spent $165,420 over 8 months on police protection for local Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown’s home this year.
The publicly funded protection began immediately after protestors showed up at Deck-Brown’s home in March, according to a report by WRAL. The protests occurred after a Raleigh police officer shot 26-year-old Javier Torres on March 10.
Initial online rumors falsely claimed that Torres was 16 years old, according to WRAL. Torres was reportedly armed and survived the police shooting. Protests and rioting further escalated following the death of George Floyd in May, resulting in property damage and dozens of arrests.
Raleigh Police Department spokeswoman Donna-maria Harris said officers were assigned to protect Deck-Brown’s home after she received “numerous angry and threatening emails,” according to WRAL. “It is unsettling to know that there are individuals in the community and across the nation who threaten our police chief. However, that is the harsh reality that we face,” Harris wrote in an email. (RELATED: Portland Autonomous Zone Removing Barricades After Mayor, Police Chief Apologize)
The Raleigh Police Protective Association expressed their disapproval of Deck-Brown’s use of taxpayer-funded police protection in late April, according to a local ABC affiliate.
“Why is Chief Deck-Brown treated differently than Raleigh citizens or Raleigh police officers?” they asked in a Facebook post.
Raleigh experienced numerous protests throughout the year. In mid-April, participants at a protest for the right to reopen their businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic were arrested. At the time, the Raleigh Police Department declared, “Protesting is a non-essential activity.”