San Francisco’s police chief on Friday said he planned to dismiss seven officers who earlier this month were discovered to have allegedly sent racist, homophobic, and bigoted texts.
Police Chief Greg Suhr said the messages “are of such despicable thinking that those responsible clearly fall below the minimum standards required to be a
police officer,” according to the New York Times.
Several cops had allegedly exchanged messages with former SFPD Sgt. Ian Furminger. The messages were discovered when Furminger was recently convicted on federal corruption charges.
“Cross burning relieves blood pressure! I did the test myself!” one text read, while others compared black people to monkeys and animals, also making use of the N-word, according to the Times. Two of the officers had been disciplined for their behavior in the past.
The Times reported that the officers’ lawyers said the texts were simply ways for the officers to blow off steam during their stressful jobs.
The San Francisco district attorney and public defender have begun investigating whether the officers ever treated minorities unfairly while on duty, the Times reported.
h/t Gawker
