A St. Paul police K-9 officer issued an apology Tuesday for dressing in a hijab for Halloween and posing for a picture that exploded on the Internet in the Twin Cities’ Somali and Muslim communities this past weekend.
“I apologize to anyone who may have been offended by the recently publicized photo which showed me at a private Halloween party on my personal time,” said officer Robert Buth. “I sincerely regret that the image, which was never intended to become public, may have been viewed to be insensitive to the Muslim community.”
The picture was posted on Twitter about 10 weeks ago, and resurfaced Sunday night. Local Somali and Muslim community members began discussing the image online and brought it to the attention of the police department’s Twitter account.
Police Chief Thomas Smith opened an investigation Monday, and issued a statement saying that he expected all officers to respect diversity.
Smith is expected to issue another statement Tuesday regarding Buth’s apology.
Community members and activists said the image was insulting because it mocked Muslim and Somali culture, and because it appeared as though Buth went to great lengths to stereotype Somali women who work at Target stores.
In the picture, Buth is wearing a red jilbaab, an especially concealing and conservative type of hijab, has a cell phone tucked between his face and the garment and sports a Target name tag with a very common Somali name.
Target Corp. spokeswoman Molly Snyder has said that the officer has provided off-duty security at a local Target store.
Buth has worked for the department since 1999. He received an oral reprimand in 2000 for an accident, and was suspended for one day in 2003 for excessive force. He has 14 thank-you letters and letters of recognition in his personnel file, and received a medal of merit in 2005.
“I am proud to be a Saint Paul police officer,” Buth wrote in his apology. “I have enjoyed working with all of our diverse communities and look forward to working to repairing any damage which may have been caused.”