Quote:
At least 20 members of the San Francisco Police Department, including a captain, will be suspended, after police officials found several videos that Mayor Gavin Newsom said contained some of the most ``egregious'' skits he'd ever seen, including racist, sexist and homophobic stereotypes of suspects.
The implicated officers allegedly created and performed ``a series of videos that have numerous instances of inappropriate and outrageous content. The content ranges from immature and vulgar, to sexist, racist and homophobic,'' Newsom and police Chief Heather Fong said in a statement.
The videos were made for a Bayview Station Christmas party, and at least one was discovered on an officer's Web site. It has been removed. Most of the suspended officers have currently or once worked in the Bayview Station. The skits on the videos, featuring uniformed officers, were intended as a spoof. The clips make fun of Asians, blacks, women, and members of the gay and transgender community.
An internal affairs investigation has been launched, Fong said, and she will begin mandatory workplace behavior sessions today.
The discovery of the videos comes six months after an offensive San Francisco 49ers training video came under widespread attack last spring.
The scandal also hits the San Francisco Police Department at time when homicides are at a 10-year high, and residents are growing angry because few suspects have been charged. Of 93 homicides this year, 19 have been forwarded to the district attorney for charging and suspects have been charged in only 11. Law enforcement has said the community's lack of trust in the police makes it difficult to persuade witnesses to come forward.
The Bayview area, in the city's southeast corner, is home to many low-income and minority residents, and has been the scene of a large number of the killings.
Newsom said Tuesday night that he has asked the city's Human Rights Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women to also investigate and the Police Commission has been contacted.
Newsom also called for a comprehensive review of the police department's personnel polices, standards of conduct and training, as well as its outreach activities to the community.
``This administration and this department have zero tolerance for this type of behavior,'' he said, adding that termination proceedings are possible, either by police or the police commission, after any investigations are completed.
The implicated officers allegedly created and performed ``a series of videos that have numerous instances of inappropriate and outrageous content. The content ranges from immature and vulgar, to sexist, racist and homophobic,'' Newsom and police Chief Heather Fong said in a statement.
The videos were made for a Bayview Station Christmas party, and at least one was discovered on an officer's Web site. It has been removed. Most of the suspended officers have currently or once worked in the Bayview Station. The skits on the videos, featuring uniformed officers, were intended as a spoof. The clips make fun of Asians, blacks, women, and members of the gay and transgender community.
An internal affairs investigation has been launched, Fong said, and she will begin mandatory workplace behavior sessions today.
The discovery of the videos comes six months after an offensive San Francisco 49ers training video came under widespread attack last spring.
The scandal also hits the San Francisco Police Department at time when homicides are at a 10-year high, and residents are growing angry because few suspects have been charged. Of 93 homicides this year, 19 have been forwarded to the district attorney for charging and suspects have been charged in only 11. Law enforcement has said the community's lack of trust in the police makes it difficult to persuade witnesses to come forward.
The Bayview area, in the city's southeast corner, is home to many low-income and minority residents, and has been the scene of a large number of the killings.
Newsom said Tuesday night that he has asked the city's Human Rights Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women to also investigate and the Police Commission has been contacted.
Newsom also called for a comprehensive review of the police department's personnel polices, standards of conduct and training, as well as its outreach activities to the community.
``This administration and this department have zero tolerance for this type of behavior,'' he said, adding that termination proceedings are possible, either by police or the police commission, after any investigations are completed.
Now, I know it's probably out of line to do such a thing, but I think it's stupid that the Police Officers can't express what they think. My opinion is that as long as it is privately distributed it should be considered private. What do y'all think?