This story broke last week but hasn’t seen much traction.
Another private Facebook group for cops filled with ✱phobic posts.
SJPD Officer Mark Pimentel was one of the officers policing the BLM protests.
How about this one?
Receipts: Medium, ABC News
From SJPD Officers Mock Muslims, BLM Protesters on Facebook
In statements issued within minutes of each other, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and SJPD Chief Eddie Garcia called for the investigation and firing of officers responsible for posting hate speech on social media.
[...]
“I demand and expect a full investigation, and further expect that racist, anti-Muslim or menacing comments expressed by any current SJPD officer will be met with termination,” Liccardo said.
San Jose is a “weak mayor” city. Mayor Sam Liccardo cannot just outright fire well, anybody really. He’s more like a city council member who represents the city at large.
Chief Eddie Garcia followed up right after to confirm that he already launched an investigation into the matter.
“I will be recommending termination,” he said in a text. “This is unacceptable.”
Later, through a spokesman, Chief Garcia added: “I have previously responded with discipline up to termination after an investigation into off duty online activity that runs counter to our standards of conduct. While I have no control over what former employees post online, I can voice my outrage after hearing about these comments made online. Any current employee involved with bigoted activity online will promptly be investigated and held accountable to the fullest extent in my power. We have no place for this.”
Sounds like Chief Garcia can’t take strong action either. What about the police union?
Sgt. Paul Kelly—president of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association—joined the growing chorus of condemnation. “I am announcing tonight that I am taking swift action against any member of the SJPOA that has participated in this online ring of hate because there is zero room in our department or our profession for racists, bigots or those that enable them,” he wrote in a statement emailed by a spokesman. “These are initial steps, more will follow in the coming days. To the community we serve, we are sincerely sorry and our actions must rise to meet this terrible stain on our profession.”
The plan of action, Kelly said, is as follows:
- Immediately file charges, pursuant to the union bylaws, to expel from membership in the San Jose Police Officers’ Association EVERY retired or active member participant in the Facebook group. As required by our bylaws, charged members must be provided an opportunity to establish that they should not be expelled by appealing to a three-person hearing committee.
- Immediately suspend any board members who are involved and file charges seeking to expel them from membership.
- The union has determined that the alleged conduct, if true, is NOT within the course and scope of any active member's employment for the San Jose Police Department. Accordingly, the union will expend no monies and will offer no support to any involved officer in defending against any charges brought by the department.
- The union will take emergency steps to change its bylaws to create specific procedures that allows the board to immediately expel members in the future.
I call bullshit.
If the San Jose Police Officers’ Association really intended to take action, #4 on that list would be #1 and it would read more like this:
1. The union will take emergency steps to change its bylaws to create specific procedures that allows the board to immediately expel members in the future.
2. Fire some MFs.
3. Possibly fire some additional MFs.
4. Do not provide support to aforementioned MFs.
As it stands, four active SJPD officers have been placed on leave and the Santa Clara Country DA is investigating. (NPR)