S.F. Cops Make Homophobic, Racist Videos On City Time

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon05/12/120805sfCops.htm

Twenty San Francisco police officers are being suspended from duty after the discovery of homophobic racist videos produced by the officers.

The tapes featured uniformed officers parodying stereotypes of gays, transsexuals, Asians, Blacks and women.

The videos came to light when one was discovered on an officer's Web site. That officer was immediately suspended and the others connected with the tapes are expected to be placed on suspension Thursday.

"In the past several hours it has come to our attention that members of the San Francisco Police Department have engaged in gross misconduct while on duty," said a joint statement released Wednesday night by Mayor Gavin Newsom and Police Chief Heather Fong.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/08/MNGQIG4PLD1.DTL

About 20 San Francisco police officers will be suspended because of their alleged involvement in what the mayor and police chief describe as videos that mock minorities and treat women as sex objects, the officials said Wednesday night.

"This is a dark day -- an extremely dark day -- in the history of the San Francisco Police Department for me as a chief to have to stand here and share with you such egregious, shameful and despicable acts by members of the San Francisco Police Department,'' Chief Heather Fong said at a City Hall press conference.

An officer at the department's Bayview Station, who is among those ordered suspended, produced the videos over the past two years using other officers and acquaintances and intended them as morale boosters, he and his attorney said Wednesday night. The officer denied he had done anything wrong, and his attorney said the suspensions were a politically motivated attack on free speech.


stupid stupid stupid

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. If they were on duty

then that implies that their beliefs are somehow condoned by the department. Besides that, aren't cops supposed to be doing cop things instead of making videos? Maybe it isn't so much "free speech" as much as "goofing off at work" that will bring these cops down.

[marmar]

2. Chief Heather Fong?

I bet those 20 cops really hate having to take orders from her.

[ultraist]

3. Yet more proof that racism is not just a Southern problem

If perhaps the most liberal city in our country is having such terrible problems with racism, what does that say?

[davidinalameda]

5. hate to paint police with a broad brush

but the police department is still the domain of the white male, even in SF

[marmar]

4. I think the poll that accompanies the story...

is being seriously freeped.