Fire captain fired for Facebook post about subordinate's interest in 'gay porn'

A captain with the Des Moines Fire Department was terminated from his job this summer after posting Facebook comments suggesting a co-worker had an interest in gay pornography. State records indicate David Bernal last worked for the city on June 16, 2023, when he was fired. He had worked for the Fire Department for more than 30 years. The records indicate that in 2021, while serving as a captain, Bernal was demoted from that position to the position of fire engineer due to a series of actions the city found to be in violation of the policies dealing with ethics, violence prevention and business conduct. Bernal’s actions included a comment about sheets being used for a “meeting” of some kind; a punching bag he brought to work that had faces of a white person and a Black person; and Bernal going unannounced to the home of an off-duty worker to discuss the comment about sheets being in a meeting. State records do not clarify the references to sheets. At the time, Bernal was given a “last chance warning” as part of his discipline. The warning stated in part that “it is important for you to understand that any further violation
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