E-mail prompts apology from chief
GREENSBORO — An e-mail sent by a police employee to local media Monday morning created some backpedaling and apologies.
Jean Clodfelter, a civilian employee in the Greensboro Police Department’s Watch Operations, sent media representatives a link to a joke spoofing President Barack Obama and the automotive bailout he backed.
She recalled the e-mail with an apology.
That was then followed by an e-mail apology from police Chief Tim Bellamy.
Clodfelter, who has been with the city since 1989 according to city records, said she could not comment without her supervisor’s permission.
Part of Clodfelter’s job is to send e-mails to the media about events such as road closures and Crime Stoppers alerts.
The e-mail violated the city’s Internet use policy, said Denise Turner, assistant city manager for community affairs and communications.
Violating the policy could lead to a warning or even dismissal, depending on the circumstances, Turner said.
Bellamy would handle any discipline, she said.
The link in the e-mail leads to a photo of two people sitting in a tiny blue vehicle with a bubble top. It reads:
“The New GM (Government Motors) Proudly Introduces 'The 2010 Obama.’ This car runs on hot air and broken promises. It has three wheels that speed the vehicle through tight left turns. It comes complete with two TelePrompters programmed to help the occupants talk their way out of any violations. The transparent canopy reveals the plastic smiles still on the faces of all the happy owners. Comes in S, M, L, XL and 2XL. It won’t get you to work, but hey, there aren’t any jobs anyway!”
“This is not something we want to promote,” Turner said, referring to political content in a city e-mail.
Employees received a reminder of the policy Monday, she said.
Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez@news-record.com
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