The Cincinnati chapter of the NAACP wants the city’s police department to revisit its sensitivity training amid an ongoing investigation.

Last week, on April 23, white officer Kurtis Latham was accused of telling Black officer Bakari Shaw, “So the master let you back in the field today?” Shaw had been on desk duty and was making his return to street patrol when the insensitive remark was made. On Friday (April 28), the NAACP issued a statement addressing the latest controversy to stem from the department.

“This insensitive, hurtful, and racist comment has no place in bias-free policing. It is not in alignment with the stated Cincinnati Police Department mission, vision, and policies. We demand swift action and accountability of the police officer that made the comment and that he receive the appropriate discipline,” said the organization. It continued, “The language is abhorrent and unacceptable. Incidents like this are happening far too frequently within CPD. This is proof positive that ongoing and continued racial sensitivity education is required.”

In conjunction with the launch of a probe into the incident, Latham has also been placed on desk duty. “Under my leadership, all personnel of the Cincinnati Police Department will always be held to a high standard of professionalism,” Police Chief Teresa Theetge told the Cincinnati Enquirer in a released statement on Friday.

The police union, however, defended Latham, claiming that he made the remark as a joke. The union also claimed it attempted to apologize to Shaw. “Like many workers who share inside jokes with colleagues about their bosses, Officer Latham was trying to be funny and did not intend to make a joke about the serious topic of slavery,” said Dan Hils, president of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police.

Local NAACP chapter president Joe Mallory said humor was nowhere to be found. “When I first heard that, my mouth hit the floor, like, hold on, say that one more time,” Mallory told the outlet. “I didn’t find a d**n thing funny about it. When you make these kinds of comments, it takes you back to a not-so-distant past when you have the Jim Crow era and people who are still alive today who have experienced and lived through that trauma.”

Last summer, Cincinnati City Councilman Scotty Johnson proposed a zero-tolerance policy for all city employees caught saying the N-word and other racial slurs while working after a string of incidents.