It's not the complete, dismal conclusion of the so-called SFPD racist text scandal, because Chief Greg Suhr has vowed to appeal the decision, but police officers who texted racist and homophobic slurs and threats to one another appear to be off the hook, even allowed to remain on the force.
14 cops were originally investigated in March for private remarks in which they referred to ethnic minorities as animals, a number that grew to 17 in April with Suhr seeking 8 terminations. But as reported later in that month, SFPD higher ups apparently knew about their officers' racist texting habits since 2012, and due to statue of limitations of a year hadn't acted in time according to the state Peace Officer Bill of Rights.
And that was he ruling, which KQED, the Examiner, and others reported as late as last Friday when it was tentative and yesterday when it was finalized.
“The court finds it’s not in the public interest to let police misconduct cases languish,” San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith ruled Monday, siding with nine officers who challenged the city and Police Department’s disciplinary attempts.
This all came into the public eye when the language of some of the texts, which originated in 2012, was released in 2014 during the trial of former Sgt. Ian Furminger, later convicted of federal fraud and conspiracy. “Get ur pocket gun,” one officer texted Furminger. “Keep it available in case the monkey returns to his roots. Its not against the law to put an animal down. U may have to kill the half breed kids too. Don’t worry. Their [sic] an abomination of nature anyway.”
The officers, the Weekly notes, will return to their jobs, but “These officers should not be police officers,” KQED quotes Chief Suhr. “They clearly fall below the minimum standard required, and we will appeal. It’s a process, but I don’t want them in this Police Department and neither do the police officers in the Police Department.”
Read all SFist coverage of the SFPD racist text scandal here.
