State Police Director: No Intention Of Resigning Over Comments About NFL Players

LANSING (WWJ) - The head of State Police saying she has no intention of quitting after meeting with lawmakers who want her to resign over an inflammatory social media posting that called some NFL players "anti-American degenerates."

Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue had since apologized after her private Facebook post went public — a meme that called NFL players who kneel during the national anthem "millionaire ingrates who hate America and disrespect our armed forces and veterans." It also calls them "rich, entitled, ungrateful."

Etue came out of the one-hour meeting telling reporters (who were not allowed in the meeting) that it was a productive dialogue, that there's work to do with the minority population and she has no intention of resigning over the matter says WWJ's Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick.

Etue came out of the hone-hour closed door meeting Thursday with the Legislative Black Caucus, a coalition of 19 state legislators who have called on the police director to resign. The caucus also wants to see more diversity on the force.

Caucus member Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, of Detroit, telling WWJ in an earlier interview that the intention for the meeting goes beyond Etue's social media posting.

"For me the conversation is, how do we take this opportunity to ask her how does she lead the Michigan State Police," Gay Dagnogo. "We need to look at the numbers at MSP, we need to talk about the practices and policies, but simply asking and calling for her resignation is not my position."

An internal investigation into whether Etue violated the department's social media policy is expected to wrap up next week. If she is found to have violated the agency's social media policy, discipline could range between a written reprimand and a five-day suspension.

"Here's the departmental policy: 'Members are free to express themselves as private citizens on social media sites to the degree that their postings do not impair working relationships, impede the performance of duties, impair discipline and harmony among coworkers, or negativity affect the public perception of the department,'" said WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick.

Gov. Rick Snyder has said he would not fire Etue, who promptly removed the post and issued an apology "to anyone who was offended."

The taking of a knee during the national anthem was started last year by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to draw attention to social inequality and police treatment of blacks. No team signed Kaepernick last offseason, which many believe is because of the stand he has taken.

Caucus member Rep. Leslie Love says she wants Etue to understand the significance of taking a knee during the anthem.

"When those men took the knee, they're saying 'Please acknowledge my pain. Don't dismiss it. Don't discredit it. Don't undermine it. Listen to what we're saying,'" said Love. "But instead of looking at the issue of racism, injustice, extreme prejudice, we'd rather just say get those son of a b*****s out of here."

Etue, the first female director of the State Police, has led the nearly 3,000-employee agency since 2011, when Snyder appointed her.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)