Police remove stuffed monkey from patrol car after complaint

A North Carolina police chief is apologizing after officers carried a stuffed black dreadlock-wearing monkey in the back seat of their police cruiser. Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson said Wednesday that the stuffed animal was removed from the patrol car after a woman who posted a video of it on Facebook called it the most racist thing she’d ever seen. Police said the toy was used to calm children who have been traumatized by anything from a fire to an act of violence. The Winston-Salem Journal reports the chief said she understands why people were offended. Thompson said steps are being taken to make sure nothing like that happens again.