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A fired Roswell, Georgia police officer filed a lawsuit against the Roswell Police Department for dismissing her over displaying a Confederate flag outside her home, reports CBS 46.

Silvia Cotriss, who’s represented by the Southern Legal Resources Center, said the U.S. Constitution guarantees her the right to display the flag on her property.

A local pastor and one of his members complained to police department officials that a Confederate flag was displayed in a front yard with a police vehicle parked in the driveway.

“How can we trust an officer like that to do their job with integrity?” Pastor Lee Jenkins rhetorically asked the news outlet.

Roswell Police Chief Rusty Grant launched an internal investigation and ultimately fired Cotriss for unbecoming conduct. Displaying the flag violated a policy against jeopardizing the public’s respect of an officer or the department.

The 20-year veteran contends the police vehicle was not parked in her yard when the complaint was filed. Furthermore, she denied knowing that the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism to some Americans, but more importantly, Cotriss argues that she has a free speech right to display the stars and bars on her propterty.

SOURCE: CBS 46

SEE ALSO:

House Abandons Confederate Flag Ban At Veteran Cemeteries

Mississippi Declares April Confederate History Month

Ex-Cop Sues Georgia Police Department That Fired Her For Flying Confederate Flag  was originally published on newsone.com