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One series of postings in January started with discussion about a sign at a district station, but quickly turned to the county's growing Hispanic population.
"Half of the district NO HABLA!!!! COMPRENDE??" an officer identified as "4D" wrote in one post.
"HALF, TRY 90 PERCENT . . . BEANERS GO HOME," another poster responded later, using the screen name "SE HABLA AWE SCREW IT, HANDS UP PACO."
The county, adjacent to the nation's capital, is one of the most affluent in the country with nearly 60 percent adults with a college education, half its workforce in white collar, managerial positions and a median income of more than $66,000 a year. At the same time, it has a fast-growing immigrant population.
A series of posts in February started by an officer looking for "a good painter that would be cheap" also disparaged Hispanics.
"In 20 years you'll have 150 channels of Telemundo, and you'll be paying for English-language channels -- and you'll be at the day laborer center, waiting for a pick-up," one post read.
Others involved a black officer involved in what the officer said was a misunderstanding of an episode in which she believed a fellow officer did not follow proper procedure. The officer's husband, the department's former diversity training teacher who was brought in following allegations of racial profiling, also was the subject of abuse on the site.
"If you treat your brothers and sisters like this," said Detective Terry Ridgley, president of the department's black officers association, "how can we expect you to treat members of the community with respect?"
Police Chief Thomas Manger said he was disappointed by the postings, which he attributed to a handful of employees.
"I know it does not reflect 99 percent of our employees," Manger said. "I will not tolerate any unlawful or improper conduct by any police department employee in the course of their duties."
Such message boards have become popular in recent years, said Chip DeBlock, a detective with the Tampa Police Department who started www.leoaffairs.com. The site hosts more than 150 message boards for law enforcement communities, getting more than 4 million hits per month, DeBlock said.
The discussions on the various boards are kept civil with the help of 150 volunteer moderators, DeBlock said.
Inflammatory postings have also led to suspensions or firings in Baltimore, New York, Detroit and Washington. In the District of Columbia, 24 officers were suspended after an investigation into the use of squad car computers to send offensive or threatening e-mail.
Walter Bader, president of Montgomery County's Fraternal Order of Police lodge, said some of the messages could have been posted by nonunion members who have hacked into the site.
"We don't censor it, we don't actively monitor it," Bader said. "It's free speech, it's 2006, it's technology. I don't agree with some of what I see on there. I don't think people should slander each other. But we're in a free country. We should embrace free speech."
Rockville is a really crappy small city. I pity anyone who has to live there.
This tax thief reminds me of those "political officers" in the Soviet Army, who contributed nothing to command, control or logistics, but were there to impart the Party ideology and punish those who strayed from it.
That's disparaging to Hispanics?
Montgomery County - at least they got rid of Chief Moose!
If they get themselves deputized by the Feds they can DO something about it instead of talking trash.
Should a Montgomery County police union Web site be censored or monitored to curb name-calling?
Choice Votes Percentage of 183 Votes
Yes 133 73%
No 50 27%
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