SFPD Officers Sent Racist, Homophobic Text Messages on Duty

SFPD (Reuters / Stephen Lam)
Reuters / Stephen Lam

The San Francisco police chief announced on Friday that he requested a police oversight committee approve the firing of seven SFPD officers for allegedly sending racist and homophobic text messages.

Moreover, one officer linked to the investigation resigned and six other officers face disciplinary action including reassignment to positions that don’t have contact with the public, reported the Associated Press.

Friday Chief Greg Suhr described said that the text messages, “are of such despicable thinking that those responsible clearly fall below the minimum standards required to be a police officer.” Although the officers were not identified, Suhr claims that they violated department policy to varying degrees.

The text messages, which targeted blacks, Mexicans, Filipinos and gay men, were discovered during an investigation of a former police sergeant convicted of corruption, and was  later sentenced to three years in prison. The text messages were allegedly sent in 2011 and 2012.

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