Posted on 06/20/2019 7:46:33 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
The Philadelphia Police Department has pulled 72 officers off their regular duties as authorities investigate inflammatory social media posts revealed in a database that found thousands of offensive postings by current and former officers, the city's police commissioner said Wednesday.
Police officials in Philadelphia are describing the action as the largest removal of officers from the street in recent memory.
"We are equally as disgusted by many of the posts that you saw and in many cases, the rest of the nation saw," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross.
It is the latest fallout since the advocacy group The Plain View Project earlier this month released thousands of Facebook posts and comments by current and former police officers that range from racist memes, to posts celebrating violence and messages containing Islamophobic themes, among other offensive material.
Since the data dump, internal affairs officials in police departments including Phoenix, St. Louis and Dallas are probing whether the distasteful and sometimes violent material should warrant disciplinary action or terminations.
In Philadelphia, Ross said Wednesday that at least "several dozen" of the 72 officers now on desk duty will be disciplined and others will be fired, but he did not provide specifics, including any of the names of those who have been taken off their regular duties.
"We've talked about from the outset how disturbing, how disappointing and upsetting these posts are," Ross told reporters at the police department's headquarters. "They will undeniably impact police-community relations."
David Rudovsky, a longtime Philadelphia civil rights lawyer who focuses on police misconduct, called the decision to place 72 officers on desk duty "significant," saying the social media posts appear to show conduct that is inconsistent with the department's promise of fair and equal treatment for all residents.
"More important will be the future decisions regarding sanctions or other measures to deal with this widespread problem in the police department," Rudovsky said.
Philadelphia criminal defense lawyer Paul Hetznecker agreed that the Facebook message scandal is a fresh reminder of an issue that has long plagued city law enforcement.
"We're all aware of it," Hetznecker said. "There's not anyone who has been connected to the criminal justice system in Philadelphia who isn't aware of the underlining problems of implicit bias and explicit bias that these posts reflect that have existed for a long, long time, for decades."
The research project tracking officers' use of social media flagged offensive material posted by about 2,900 current officers, some in supervisor roles, and posts by hundreds of former police officers across eight police departments.
ETC...
Desk duty is safe duty. Put them out on the beat.
> Soldiers, Cops, Firefighters, and others have a rough and raunchy sense of humor. <
I would not want a cop who made obviously racist comments on the force. That person is too compromised. But otherwise, yeah, you’re right. As long as they are professional when actually dealing with the public, no problem.
There is something about cleaning up the body of a baby ripped in half by the hand of Man that erodes delicate sensibilities and gnaws at a refined humor.
Have this cupid Commie stunt spend a few years on the street, and perhaps she can understand "coping".
Well, if ya wanna know WHAT was actually said ya outta luck...
Don’t use FB.
If you must use FB, don’t use your real name.
And most certainly, don’t use the police station’s computer for such.
If you want Jesus as a police officer, you’re going to be disappointed.
“Best to avoid Facebook and all social media.”
I know what you’re saying, but then you need to avoid FR too. It’s really sad that is come to this. People should be able to let off some steam, engage in satire etc. But that’s not really safe on any platform.
We have to be careful without submitting to self censorship. if you don’t exercise a right it will be lost.
The totalitarian technocratic state is here.
Yeah, let's all be a bunch of menstruating pussies! That's how we win!
Amongst actual men, that pious, sensitive, gentle Daddy is often an absolutely ruthless killer when he suits up and goes to war. Daddy's Little Girl rarely gets to see that side ...
Does Free Republic count as Social Media ?
> People should be able to let off some steam, engage in satire etc. But that’s not really safe on any platform. <
It often depends on whether you are a liberal or a conservative. If you are a liberal, all you have to do is say your statements were taken out of context. Or you can say you have “evolved” since then. Then all is forgiven.
But if you are not a liberal, you become an unperson, permanently. Roseanne Barr is a good example of that.
We have to be careful without submitting to self censorship
72 fewer cops on patrol today. Good luck PHL.
Facebook, Twitter, Google...Ministry of Social Information.
I have a job in the real world. We are warned that ANY FakeBook posts will reflect on our career.
Why these cops didn’t understand that is beyond me. I see this happens with teachers also. They should know that school administrators are watching them.
FBI Serves Incredibly Broad Warrant To 8chan, Demanding Info On All Users Who Responded To A Shooter’s Post
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3758230/posts
Yeah, my observation as well. Anti Muslim thoughts ain’t allowed.
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