Chapel Hill police officer placed on administrative leave after concerns over controversial tattoo

CHAPEL HILL, NC (WTVD) -- A Chapel Hill police officer has been placed on administrative leave after concerns regarding his "Three Percenters" tattoo.

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In a statement, Town Manager Roger Stancil said Officer Cole Daniels was placed on administrative leave with pay August 27.

"The pervasiveness of the concerns raised by many regarding his display of a tattoo that is associated with the Three Percenters' has caused the Department to question his ability to function effectively as a police officer within his community."

The Three Percenters are seen by some as a militia group. The left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center refers to the group as being part of an anti-government extremist movement.

The North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans released the following statement on Officer Daniels:

The North Carolina Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans restates its demand that UNC Campus and Town of Chapel Hill law enforcement officials be held accountable for their dereliction of duty on the evening of August 20, 2018. Their actions must be fully investigated and there should be serious consequences for their willful failure to maintain law and order at the "People's University."