— A 20-year veteran police officer fired in June over Facebook comments he made about black people as "hoodrats" had his punishment changed instead to a 10-day unpaid suspension.
City Manager Lee Feldman said Monday one reason for the initial firing was a concern that the actions by Patrol Officer Jeffery Feldewert, 45, would endanger the prosecution of arrests that he was involved in.
Feldman said the State Attorney's Office has since reviewed the matter and determined "the officer's behavior would not impede the future prosecution of cases."
"While the city certainly does not condone Officer Feldewert's actions, nor are they in any way representative of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, the actual matter, evaluated with the officer's record, did not warrant termination," Feldman said in an email.