El Paso County deputy steps down after using racial slur to describe President Obama

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says one of its deputies stepped down after using a racial slur to describe President Barack Obama.

The comment was made in front of several subordinates and members of the coroner’s office in a break room at the sheriff’s office.

Lt. Robert Jaworski made the comment after the president appeared on the television in the break room.

Sheriff Bill Elder said that he would have fired Jaworski if he had not left his job voluntarily.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby tells KRDO NewsChannel 13 that any of kind of racial slur will not be tolerated at the sheriff’s office because it shows bias.

“To have the audacity to use such a hateful word about his nonetheless commander-in-chief is, it’s pretty dispicable,” said local NAACP chapter president Lisa Villanueva.

Villanueva said there needs to be more of a African American presence at the decision-making table, to ensure actions like this don’t happen, and are dealt with appropriately when they do.

“I would say (we should be) invited to the table for some kind of task force for fair policing, accountability, and equitable decision making,” she said.

Jaworski’s career spanned 28 years. He left the sheriff’s office on May 5.

Because he mostly oversaw other detectives, his departure doesn’t leave any cases abandoned.

He will not receive any severance package from the County, but he is eligible to be paid for unused vacation and sick time, which is standard for any retirement, resignation, or termination.