A New Jersey state trooper with a large neck tattoo referencing a famous Hitler Youth slogan was fired from the force last year after an investigation into that tattoo and other tattoos linked to white supremacy.
Officer Jason Derr was fired from the police department on Nov. 27 after nearly 20 years on the force, according to a newly released report. State Police Annual Disciplinary Report and Report from NJ.com.
Officer Dare’s shocking body art was brought to police attention after New Jersey State Police issued a missing person alert for the officer after he went missing in March 2023 after leaving a medical facility in Pennsylvania.
The detective, who was listed as “missing and dangerous” in the alert, was found safe and sound a few days later.
But it wasn’t his disappearance that captured public attention, but the words “Blood Honor” written in large letters on the lower part of his neck in a photo shared by police with a missing person’s report.
As social media users who commented on the state police post in the hope of finding Derr pointed out, “Blood and Honor” was a motto adopted by the Hitler Youth during World War II.
Internet sleuths later found photos on Dare’s Facebook page revealing even more disturbing tattoos, including an iron cross on his wrist and an illustration of a pit bull that matches the logo of the Keystone State Skinheads, a Pennsylvania-based white supremacist group. According to the Anti-Defamation League:.
He also shared posts on Facebook alluding to white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Accountability launched an internal investigation into Dare after receiving complaints about his tattoos.
According to NJ.com, the investigation found that he had violated law enforcement rules regarding conflicts of interest through “visible tattoos associated with organizations that promote racist ideology.”
The state police’s annual personnel disciplinary report does not list hate-related tattoos as a reason for Dare’s firing, but includes “uniform and grooming standards” among his charges.
“[Dare] “He violated the terms of a previously negotiated plea agreement for misconduct by leaving a medical facility without proper notice and entering a vacant residence in Pennsylvania without authorization,” the report states.
“The officer fired one shotgun round into the front window of the home. The officer has been fired from the police department.”
State police have not released any information about Dare’s treatment, his disappearance or the circumstances of the firearm incident.
The Attorney General’s office told local media that Dare was released on November 27th following an investigation.
A spokesman for the firm did not immediately respond to a request for information from The Washington Post.
