Batavia Police Department severs relationship with pinstriping business

BATAVIA – The Batavia Police Department has severed its relationship with the owner of a pinstriping business after being alerted to several social media posts that were racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic in nature.

Jake Zaagman operates a pinstriping business in Batavia called Jake The Striper. He could not be reached for comment.

"This afternoon the Batavia Police Department was alerted to a series of messages that were posted to the internet by of one of the department's third-party vendors," stated a post on Batavia Police Department's Facebook page. "This vendor has supplied our police car markings for a number of years. These social media posts can only be described as racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and otherwise appalling in nature.

"The Batavia Police Department wants it to be clear that these messages do not even remotely align with our value of diversity and inclusion in our community, nor with the Police Department’s organizational philosophies or our approach to ethical and impartial policing.

As a result of these messages, the Batavia Police Department is severing our business relationship with this vendor, effective immediately."

Batavia resident Eric Stotko had emailed Batavia Police Chief Dan Eul screenshots of Zaagman's posts.

"Change happens at a local level and I just wanted to make sure my police department knew where their money was going," Stotko said. "It's important that people know the type of person he is."

Stotko said he wasn't surprised the police department reacted so quickly.

"Batavia Police show a lot of empathy and they actually care about the community and are focused on community building," he said.