Denver firefighter dubbed ‘racist rover’ fired for offensive comments

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A Denver firefighter nicknamed a “racist rover” has been fired from the department after an internal investigation found he repeatedly marginalized and belittled co-workers.

Lt. Jared Russo “may be able to perform the on-site duties of a firefighter, (but) he does not possess the character required to be a Denver firefighter,” Mary J. Dulacki, assistant general manager of the Department of Denver Public Affairs. Security, written in a disciplinary order obtained by the Denver Post.

The Denver Fire Department launched an internal investigation in July after a captain requested that Russo not be assigned to their position. Crews reported to the captain that Russo was making “strange and offbeat comments with racial undertones,” the investigators wrote, and that they preferred not to work with him.

The report lists a host of instances where Russo made alleged racist remarks. Firefighters told investigators that Russo said “you all look like” a black firefighter and that Asians are poor drivers.

Russo also allegedly said that the Holocaust never happened, investigators found, and that “the slaves were lucky to have been brought to this country.” The lieutenant, according to the disciplinary document, once said “Hitler was a better person than Abraham Lincoln.”

Russo told investigators he found the nickname “racist rover” offensive, saying he was a history buff but the story was “very different from what most people think”. He admitted that some of those conversation topics – like slavery – shouldn’t be discussed at the fire station.

Dulacki, in the disciplinary action, said Russo’s offensive comments caused “discomfort, alienation and division” and that “hateful and intolerant speech has no place in the fire station” .

“The Denver Fire Department expects more from its members and the community it serves demands and deserves better,” she wrote.

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