Cops Across US Post Racist Things on FB

[redheadbaker]

Who's surprised? Anyone? Bueller?

I'm dying to know what the wife of the officer I reported thinks of this report (we were FB friends after volunteering in animal rescue together), but she blocked me 😆

www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilyhoerner/police-facebook-racist-violent-posts-comments-philadelphia?utm_source=dynamic&utm_campaign=bfsharefacebook&ref=mobile_share

Police officers saying bigoted and racist things online has been an issue since the beginning of social media. The behavior was especially scrutinized after the Black Lives Matter movement blasted into the national conversation — and that scrutiny has continued even after that movement began grappling with its future. What was never really captured was the scope of problematic online posts from police officers.

But a new review of police behavior on Facebook documents the systemic nature of the conduct across several departments. The Plain View Project, launched by Philadelphia lawyer Emily Baker-White, examined the accounts of about 2,900 officers from eight departments across the country and an additional 600 retired officers from those same departments. She compiled posts that represented troubling conduct in a database that is replete with racist imagery and memes, and in some cases long, vitriolic exchanges involving multiple officers.

[heyjude]

Had to delete a cop friend from NYC who constantly posted the most vile racist shit. Not surprised by this.

[shauni27]

This is not a surprise in the slightest. My cousin is a trooper and has closed all of his social media accounts because "he knows what he will post could get him fired."

Like, shit, maybe don't post such vile stuff and then you won't have to worry.

[calamity]

The one cop I 'know' is also a complete racist.

He was a jackass punk growing up and somehow became a cop. Now he's just a punk with authority and weapons.

[Saudade]

Not a surprise. The cop husband of a coworker posts racist shit all the time and his FB isn’t private.

[anodyne]

I also had to delete a few friends who became cops. One I used to work with before he became a cop. Not only was his feed filled with racist crap, he started targeting a mutual coworker and myself because we would post and call out questionable behavior by our police force. We were somehow less worthy and had no right to call the police for help if we questioned them. He I actually hid instead of deleted. His temperament scared me enough that I want to be able to check in and screenshot if needed.

[mcsangel2]

Like everyone else, the two cops I know in person also turned out to be racist. One was a friend for 30 years (and we dated at one point), I unfriended him a couple of years ago. The other is my brother in law. He doesn't post overtly racist stuff on his FB (very pro Trump though), but I have heard him say things in person.

I would really really like to know if anyone knows a cop who's liberal and not racist. Does this exist?

[amberlyrose]

Jun 3, 2019 12:08:27 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

Like everyone else, the two cops I know in person also turned out to be racist. One was a friend for 30 years (and we dated at one point), I unfriended him a couple of years ago. The other is my brother in law. He doesn't post overtly racist stuff on his FB (very pro Trump though), but I have heard him say things in person.

I would really really like to know if anyone knows a cop who's liberal and not racist. Does this exist?

I do. My uncle was a detective for years and also retired from the Army. He's one of the very few I could think of off the top of my head. Which is tragic.

[elleblue]

Jun 3, 2019 12:45:03 GMT -5 amberlyrose said:

Jun 3, 2019 12:08:27 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

Like everyone else, the two cops I know in person also turned out to be racist. One was a friend for 30 years (and we dated at one point), I unfriended him a couple of years ago. The other is my brother in law. He doesn't post overtly racist stuff on his FB (very pro Trump though), but I have heard him say things in person.

I would really really like to know if anyone knows a cop who's liberal and not racist. Does this exist?

I do. My uncle was a detective for years and also retired from the Army. He's one of the very few I could think of off the top of my head. Which is tragic.

My father is a former police chief/detective and he's always been super liberal, and a friend of mine who is a former detective is also incredibly liberal.

[Deleted]

I believe that there are individual police officers who are not racist*, at least to the extent that it’s possible (trying to acknowledge subconscious bias, etc). But I believe the system they work within is so steeped in racism that they are often tilting at windmills.

*I refuse to say liberal in this context. While I think it’s clear which political party is the party of overt racism, being liberal does not automatically make one not racist.

[anodyne]

Well look at that. STL has a problem.

And former coworker is in there

www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2019/06/03/st-louis-cops-nastiest-facebook-posts-now-being-reviewed-by-internal-affairs?fbclid=IwAR0NA-dlktQjqJ3k1d5Ls5Pa4k1XJWEKg4h-D8ULIZGNCH0qnDHTxBUacfw

[Chuppathingy]

Oh, look! The sky is blue.

What really saddens me is that so many people will still deny this. I expect this report will lead to exactly nothing because, as a nation and a culture, we seem to have become incapable of directly addressing issues as opposed to endlessly debating them. There are no facts anymore only matters of opinion to be touted or ridiculed.

[pugz]

this is why I really struggle with any kind of "coffee with a cop" or "let's take cookies to the police station" kind of thing. As well as instilling in kids the idea that cops are good. I don't think they are. As a whole they have not shown themselves to be.

[readyin07]

You can probably add firefighters to that as well :/

And again like anything there are of course exceptions! But I have a bunch of firefighter neighbors and parents at my kid’s school and it’s safe to say that 100% of them are trumper racists. I am appalled at some of what I have heard!

[leviosa]

Yesterday I called a cop friend out on her blatant racist post.

She called me bigoted because I was being intolerant of her belief.

[aliciabella]

My brother in law, who is a cop in NJ, named his dog a racist term for a black person. That was nice to hear.

Also,a guy I went to high school with became a cop just to arrest black people and didn't do much to hide that fact though he was fired eventually for.....wait for it.......for illegally targeting black people.

I will tell you right now, this shit starts with the top.The DA and police chiefs set the standards and until more minorities became police chiefs and DAs it will never change.

People are shocked at the racist shit I have seen and it would still blow peoples minds here. It is a fucking disgrace.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jun 3, 2019 14:40:37 GMT -5 pugz said:

this is why I really struggle with any kind of "coffee with a cop" or "let's take cookies to the police station" kind of thing. As well as instilling in kids the idea that cops are good. I don't think they are. As a whole they have not shown themselves to be.

@

My daughters preschool every year has a police visit (during a week of public worker stuff - the fire department visits, someone from the parks & rec department visits, etc).

I'm so torn on it because in the in hand, understanding who police are and what they do IS important. But otoh, her preschool is close to 50% minority so it feels a little tone deaf.

[suburbanzookeeper]

DH is a former LEO and is a FF now. We have several LEOs in the family and have a large base of acquaintances in LEO (many from dog rescue - we rescued GSDs for 18 years which is a popular cop pet for obvious reasons). DH's uncle is a retired LBGTQ LAPD officer with a number of friends who are current or former LEOs who also are LBGTQ which tends to lean more on the other side of things in this context.

I will say that the system is systematically racist/biased. I'm not shocked. I've unfriended a number of people over the years for things they've posted or commented. I have heard friends say they keep their head low at work and just deal with the comments because the thin blue line means they are god-like and cannot be challenged. DH's station is pretty equally mixed in terms of political beliefs. Someone at his city was fired for leaving a MAGA hat on a person of color's desk last year.

[Saudade]

Jun 3, 2019 14:40:37 GMT -5 pugz said:

this is why I really struggle with any kind of "coffee with a cop" or "let's take cookies to the police station" kind of thing. As well as instilling in kids the idea that cops are good. I don't think they are. As a whole they have not shown themselves to be.

I completely agree with this. My oldest son wants to be a cop SO badly when he grows up. He would be terrible at it and I try SO hard to discourage it. I have to deal with cops daily at my job and I have such an inherent distrust for them. It makes it difficult. Add in rural and 99% white. We get a lot of kids from the alternative school that are brought in by the police and I hate it. I just want to kick the officer out and snuggle the kids. 

[pixy0stix]

My anecdote is the same as everyone else's. Every cop that I personally know eventually posts racist things on FB.

[erbear]

Jun 3, 2019 14:40:37 GMT -5 pugz said:

this is why I really struggle with any kind of "coffee with a cop" or "let's take cookies to the police station" kind of thing. As well as instilling in kids the idea that cops are good. I don't think they are. As a whole they have not shown themselves to be.

And no one thinks through the emotional trauma for kids of color being pulled into these situations for the sake of good publicity. It's infuriating.

[anodyne]

Jun 3, 2019 18:19:04 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

My brother in law, who is a cop in NJ, named his dog a racist term for a black person. That was nice to hear.

Also,a guy I went to high school with became a cop just to arrest black people and didn't do much to hide that fact though he was fired eventually for.....wait for it.......for illegally targeting black people.

I will tell you right now, this shit starts with the top.The DA and police chiefs set the standards and until more minorities became police chiefs and DAs it will never change.

People are shocked at the racist shit I have seen and it would still blow peoples minds here. It is a fucking disgrace.

In St Louis City and St Louis County we have a newly elected AA female DA and AA Male DA. The female had a list of POs with such tainted conduct that she will no longer accept testimony or evidence from. The backlash has been horrific. I'd say half the city hates her with no real understanding of the situation.

The month before the male DA took office the prosecuting attorneys voted to join the police union.

Getting POC in these positions is important, but I'm not sure how many people want to subject themselves to this kind of reaction.

[WOT?*]

Jun 3, 2019 23:15:37 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Jun 3, 2019 18:19:04 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

My brother in law, who is a cop in NJ, named his dog a racist term for a black person. That was nice to hear.

Also,a guy I went to high school with became a cop just to arrest black people and didn't do much to hide that fact though he was fired eventually for.....wait for it.......for illegally targeting black people.

I will tell you right now, this shit starts with the top.The DA and police chiefs set the standards and until more minorities became police chiefs and DAs it will never change.

People are shocked at the racist shit I have seen and it would still blow peoples minds here. It is a fucking disgrace.

In St Louis City and St Louis County we have a newly elected AA female DA and AA Male DA. The female had a list of POs with such tainted conduct that she will no longer accept testimony or evidence from. The backlash has been horrific. I'd say half the city hates her with no real understanding of the situation.

The month before the male DA took office the prosecuting attorneys voted to join the police union.

Getting POC in these positions is important, but I'm not sure how many people want to subject themselves to this kind of reaction.

Holy shit this is appalling. Preemptive measures to deal with POC in positions of authority within the legal system. "Can't fire me because the union will protect me." So the prosecutors can shit on the defense attorneys (who are already working for less money, more cases, fewer supports, less autonomy...) and have the unions defend them if the DAs complain.

[fumbalina]

I do not know any police officers, so I can not offer a personal anecdote there. I do know several paramedics that say the most racist, classist, and otherwise bigoted things I have ever heard. I call them out on it and am told it is because I do not have experience helping people. There is one who I do not speak to any longer, but who has always hated anyone on "welfare" and his excuse for this always boils down to one single exaggerated experience with a woman.

My experience with firefighters has always been positive, but that could be because most of them are minorities and on occasion, those who report to them who may be white, but often are not.

[aliciabella]

Jun 3, 2019 23:15:37 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Jun 3, 2019 18:19:04 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

My brother in law, who is a cop in NJ, named his dog a racist term for a black person. That was nice to hear.

Also,a guy I went to high school with became a cop just to arrest black people and didn't do much to hide that fact though he was fired eventually for.....wait for it.......for illegally targeting black people.

I will tell you right now, this shit starts with the top.The DA and police chiefs set the standards and until more minorities became police chiefs and DAs it will never change.

People are shocked at the racist shit I have seen and it would still blow peoples minds here. It is a fucking disgrace.

In St Louis City and St Louis County we have a newly elected AA female DA and AA Male DA. The female had a list of POs with such tainted conduct that she will no longer accept testimony or evidence from. The backlash has been horrific. I'd say half the city hates her with no real understanding of the situation.

The month before the male DA took office the prosecuting attorneys voted to join the police union.

Getting POC in these positions is important, but I'm not sure how many people want to subject themselves to this kind of reaction.

There are alot of POC who are not afraid to make a stand. We are quite resourceful especially living in this country and dealing with daily racism. I think it is kind of silly to think otherwise.

[aliciabella]

Jun 4, 2019 0:07:26 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

Jun 3, 2019 23:15:37 GMT -5 anodyne said:

In St Louis City and St Louis County we have a newly elected AA female DA and AA Male DA. The female had a list of POs with such tainted conduct that she will no longer accept testimony or evidence from. The backlash has been horrific. I'd say half the city hates her with no real understanding of the situation.

The month before the male DA took office the prosecuting attorneys voted to join the police union.

Getting POC in these positions is important, but I'm not sure how many people want to subject themselves to this kind of reaction.

Holy shit this is appalling. Preemptive measures to deal with POC in positions of authority within the legal system. "Can't fire me because the union will protect me." So the prosecutors can shit on the defense attorneys (who are already working for less money, more cases, fewer supports, less autonomy...) and have the unions defend them if the DAs complain.

Unions don't make people untouchable and most government employees including the DAs are already in unions as we are required to. I am not sure what the unions have to do with defense attorneys.

And to add, the DA is the head prosecutor, and like most political positions when they come in they can legally clean house if they choose. Adding to a union doesn't necessarily mean their inability to be fired. Ya know?

[anodyne]

Jun 4, 2019 13:20:34 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

Jun 3, 2019 23:15:37 GMT -5 anodyne said:

In St Louis City and St Louis County we have a newly elected AA female DA and AA Male DA. The female had a list of POs with such tainted conduct that she will no longer accept testimony or evidence from. The backlash has been horrific. I'd say half the city hates her with no real understanding of the situation.

The month before the male DA took office the prosecuting attorneys voted to join the police union.

Getting POC in these positions is important, but I'm not sure how many people want to subject themselves to this kind of reaction.

There are alot of POC who are not afraid to make a stand. We are quite resourceful especially living in this country and dealing with daily racism. I think it is kind of silly to think otherwise.

You are correct and I don't think otherwise.

I am in a defeatist mood. I know someone on this list. I sat in same office as him for 3 years with him talking about his dream of being a cop. His racism didn't show in the workplace or on his Facebook when I worked with him. In the 5 years he has been a cop I watched him change through Facebook. He went from posting all about his kid to joining the 3%ers. He began subtly threatening myself and another coworker when we would call him out on his racism or hateful posts. It scares me, and I have days I just want to throw my hands up. I'm thankful for all the people who don't.

[redheadbaker]

10 Philly Cops Placed on Desk Duty

www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-police-facebook-posts-racist-offensive-investigation-training-20190606.html?fbclid=IwAR0Gi7hCt3Z8cMgn7WfvQgMTFnbxYxdAxT1vbN0Kx8ZslOAcpfTXUYb55Hk

Ten Philadelphia police officers who “appear to have engaged in explicit bias” have been placed on desk duty as the department continues to investigate cops’ alleged Facebook posts flagged by an advocacy group as racist, intolerant, or otherwise offensive, officials said Thursday.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross also said in a statement that the entire 6,500-member force would undergo anti-bias training in response to the publication of the Plain View Project, a database professing to catalog problematic Facebook activity from police in eight jurisdictions nationwide, including Philadelphia.

In his statement, Ross said the department had asked a law firm — which he did not name — to help evaluate the Facebook posts or comments and who may have made them, and to help identify any that may have violated the department’s social media policy. The Plain View Project published the database Saturday, saying it included offensive material from about 330 active Philadelphia cops, some of whom were identified as high-ranking officers.