White police officer gets suspended for three days after calling his black co-worker the n-word

The county's sheriff has defended the length of the punishment

Corrections Sergeant George Jackson (center) receives commendation. (Hamilton County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)

George Jackson, a white sergeant with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, received a three day unpaid suspension after calling a black deputy the "n-word" on two separate occasions last November.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that Jackson was walking into the Hamilton County Jail with his coworker Deputy Jessica White on November 14 when she confronted him about swerving his vehicle on the road that morning. She admitted that she was worried about him and asked him if he carried his insurance card on him.

He responded by saying yes, “just in case a n***er” like her hit his car and didn’t have insurance. Later, Jackson said the comment was merely a joke and didn’t mean to offend White. Meanwhile, she immediately filed a grievance against the sergeant.

According to records by the Times Free Press, White began to explain what happened to four men in the control room when Jackson walked into the room. He repeated exactly what he said, including the racial slur. Surveillance video of the incident shows the people in the room laughing at Jackson’s comments. Two of the men said they thought White was amused by the racial slur while two others said White seemed offended.

Sheriff Jim Hammond defended his decision to only suspended Jackson for three-day considering the day-to-day insults his deputies trade with each other.

"They'd been partnering up for a long time and had pushed the limits — both of them — in terms of how they respected each other," he told the newspaper. "He carried it to a point where she got offended, so we had to discipline him. It's not appropriate and I won't allow it to go on, that's why I took the steps I did, but it did not raise to the level where I would do anything more severe on the first time."

Jackson sent his own statement to the Times Free Press following the incident claiming that he considers White both a colleague and good friend.

"We see one another on a regular basis and are cordial," he told the paper. "She remains someone that I respect and would do anything in my ability to assist. Her and her family remain in our family's prayers as she has said the same to me. I hope in time we can once again have the professional friendship we once shared."