St. Martinville Officer Reprimanded Over False COVID-19 Info

During times of crisis, reliable and accurate information is imperative. That's why St. Martinville Police are taking swift action against one of their own. An officer with the St. Martinville Police Department was accused of sharing and spreading false information about the coronavirus threat. That officer has been reprimanded.

A spokesperson for the St. Martinville Police Department told KATC's Chris Welty that while what the officer did was wrong the actions were not thought to be malicious or deliberate in nature.  However, Chief Ricky Martin of SMPD believes his officers and all public servants should be held to a higher standard. That's why the officer was reprimanded.

The identity of the officer involved was not revealed. Meanwhile, the department says that all of its officers have been enrolled in an online training course from the Peace Officer Standards and Training website to become better educated on the COVID-19 threat.