The digital footprint is no joke. Cops are entitled to personal media pages but they can’t just hop on Beyoncé’s internet and post just anything. Any smidge of racism or bias will circulate Twitter faster they can blink their eyes. Yet, their personal Facebook pages, emails and even body camera footage has exposed racist rhetoric and beliefs time and time again.
In some cases, it cost an officer their reputation with the department. But, in other cases, it costs them their jobs altogether. Either way, it’s obvious they thought they’d get away with it.
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The families and friends of these police officers may laugh off their racist Facebook posts like a tone-deaf rant at the dinner table. However, the internet will never forget. Uh uh, not in this society, sir.
Mosey down this list of 25 times crooked cops were caught being racist fools.
“I Hate Black People.”
San Jose Police Officer (or should I say, former officer) Mark McNamara took the easy way out, resigning right as he was being probed for a slew of racist text messages exposed by his very own police department. The content of the messages was everything from him using the n-word, saying Black people ain’t got no sense and literally saying, “I hate Black people.”
His messages were directed toward K’aun Green, a college athlete who was shot by McNamara and other officers after trying to break up a bar brawl. He may not have been convicted of excessive force but he’s still out of a job anyway.
Meghan Markle Haters
It wasn’t just the media that dogged Meghan Markle out for simply existing as a Black woman. The cops did too. A West Yorkshire police officer was placed under investigation for sharing racist messages exposed by his ex-wife. She told SkyNews that most of the texts were misogynistic, racist jabs at Meghan Markle and the Royal Family that the officer and his colleagues found hysterical.
Previously, five Metropolitan Police officers had pleaded guilty in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on the same accusation of sending offensive racist messages. There’s no telling where the West Yorkshire investigation will go.
“A Pack of Wolves”
Two Sacramento cops were put on blast for their racist exchange caught on body cam back in 2020. They rolled up on a group of young Black men and teens calling them all types of ghetto and “retarded” while they peered at them from the patrol car, per The Sacramento Bee. One of the officers suggested getting out the car and immediately using force on them without saying what the boys were in trouble for.
While (improperly) detaining the group, the officers called them a pack of wolves” trying to destroy the community and said they’re the problem with society. Well, damn. Say how you really feel.
Black People in a White Man’s Job?
A Prince George’s County officer got exposed while trying under investigation for allegedly violating the use of force policy after punching a Black teen in the neck, per NBC Washington. Officer Darryl Wormuth’s text messages calling his fellow Black officers “f-cking animals” or Black people in a “white man’s job” surfaced during the probe prompting the state’s attorney to put him on a “do not call” witness list.
The cop ended up getting 45 days in prison and the suspension of his policing powers as a result of the assault charge after hitting the teen.
Mr. “Freedom of Speech”
Greenwood police officer Sam Bowen was slammed with formal charges and suspended without pay after being woven into a racist, sexist message scandal, per IndyStar. After getting caught, he filed a lawsuit against the police chief and city claiming that his discipline violated his right to free speech.
“There’s a lot of messages probably over 5,000 that I wish I never would have said. Regardless I don’t think any of these messages affect how I treat the public at all,” Bowen said according to IndyStar.
Trump Badge
Sgt. Dana Martillo was caught donning a Trump 2020 badge reading, “Make Enforcement Great Again” while on duty at a Black Lives Matter protest in February 2021, per NY Daily News.
Martillo did ask for permission from a superior and told a colleague during the protest she had to “brush up on her First Amendment rights.” She was given a 10-day suspension and was forced to forfeit 30 vacation days following an internal investigation.
Rejected for Racist Posts
Former Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer Nathan Washam left the department after he was placed under investigation for a video of him allegedly using racist language during a gaming livestream, per The San Francisco Chonicle.
However, when he applied to San Ramon’s police department for a new job, his application was rejected after the department found what he was previously accused of.
The Majority of Antioch PD
Nearly half of the entire Antioch Police Department was pulled under investigation after the exposure of a slew of racist texts between the officers, according to a scathing investigative report from the Los Angeles Times.
Among the messages were racist slurs and various insults toward Black people, jokes about the beating or violent arrest of Black people and even a threat to shoot the Black mayor, Lamar Thorpe, with a nonlethal projectile. Oh, it was UGLY. This case got so bad, they had to reevaluate the pending cases handled by the officers accused in the case they were tainted by racial bias.
Racist Road Rager
Hingham police officer Joel Salituri followed a Black man from the interstate, onto the exit ramp and to a nearby parking while yelling racial slurs and even flashing his firearm. According to NBC Boston, he was off duty at the time but boasted that he was a cop. He was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and faces hate crime enhancements.
Mocking George Floyd
Marion police officer Chaz Foy was employed for 48 hours before getting kicked out from the department after his racist social media posts were exposed, according to IndyStar.
There were many but one of them was a Facebook post reading, “With gas hitting 4.89 and climbing, let’s all take a moment to appreciate better times.” He was referring the picture attached, of George Floyd under the knee of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin.
Racist Challenge Coin
Dallas Officer Caleb McCollum customized a challenge coin to honor the 15th anniversary of the South Central Patrol Division but with a stereotypical twist. According to Fox 4 News, the coin depicted a drug house with the Pillsbury Doughboy behind it wearing gold teeth, holding money in one hand and a firearm in the other. The letters above the figure read “Big ‘T’ Plaza,” which is a shopping center frequented by Black customers.
McCollum’s coin disturbed city residents and resulted in administrative leave and a 5-day suspension.
Torrance Police Officers
An investigation from the Los Angeles Times found a series of text messages among Torrance police officers, mocking the shooting death of a Black man. Officers shot Christopher Mitchell within 15 seconds of approaching him, as he surrendered with his hands in the air.
“Was going to tell you all those [N-word] family members are all pissed off in front of the station,” said one officer.
“Gun cleaning party at my house when they release my name??” another officer was found saying.
At least a dozen officers were connected to racist and homophobic text messages including the sharing of racist memes. The lawsuits against the officers costed up to $10 million.
Chicago Police Lieutenant
Just when a report from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability was ready to expose him for filth, Lt. John Cannon handed in his resignation.
Per the Chicago Tribune, Cannon had a racist spam account on Facebook under the alias “Samuel Hipster.” He told investigators it was meant to be a joke but his posts were far from humorous.
One post was a meme of former president Barack Obama wearing a turban with the caption “Obama is ISIS.” Another post read “White privilege is a myth perpetuated by those who hate white people.”
He was bound to be fired anyway as COPA found him unfit to serve in the department.
Jacksonville, Florida Sergeant
Sgt. Douglas Howell is under internal investigation by the Sheriff’s office for being caught tweeting a slew of racially insensitive comments, per First Coast News.
He came for every group of color but in one 2013 tweet, he said Black people were one of America’s biggest problems. With his Twitter fingers he violated department policy by engaging in speech expressing racial bias. It’s not confirmed if the tweets are Howell’s but if they are, somebody’s gettin’ fired (Beyoncé voice).
Victorville Federal Prison Corrections Officers
A pending investigation is looking into a crazy-racist Instagram supposedly owned by a group of corrections officers at Victorville Federal Correctional Complex, per East Bay Times.
The account, “goodverbal,” had allegedly made racist, homophobic, xenophobic... everything-phobic posts about fellow guards and inmates. Some posts even joked about sexually assaulting women inmates.
The Bureau of Prisons said they can’t confirm who runs the account but when they do, criminal prosecution is on the table.
Illinois Police Officer
Springfield Police Department Officer Aaron Paul Nichols was exposed for a variety of white supremacist posts on social media, found the Huffington Post.
Nichols made jokes about killing Black and Jewish people among other obscenities like saying Hitler “did nothing wrong.” Oh, and this quote:
“N–gers ruin everything. Even if it’s White doing the stealing they’re likely selling the meat to blaq [sic] run restaurants or trading it to n—gers for dope. Real talk.”
Anonymous Comrades Collective, a group that tracks down neo-Nazis and such, reported the posts leading to an internal investigation. He ended up resigning instead of talking to investigators.
Wichita Fire Department
Capt. Keith Niemann was suspended for three days without pay after his racist WhatsApp messages were exposed, per The Wichita Eagle.
Niemann sent a photo of himself in an ugly Christmas sweater with a cartoon version of the Wardy “Woody” Joubert meme with a Christmas present covering Joubert’s crotch. “I have a big package for you,” read the sweater. He also held a mug with Joubert’s picture and a “vulgar saying.”
Another supervisor was disciplined for sending a photoshopped picture from “A Christmas Story” with Flick sticking his tongue to a Black male body part instead of a pole.
Speaking of Wichita...the SWAT Team
Racist and sexist messages between SWAT members all the way back to 2015 were found in an internal department investigation, according to AP News. One text mocked George Floyd’s death and joked about the use of excessive force.
Per the city’s report, the officers were not disciplined as they should have been and the internal investigation was mishandled. All officers are now required to attend training sessions on racial discrimination and civil rights violations.
Maryland Park Police Officers
Mark Miles of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police filed a lawsuit against his fellow colleagues after receiving a number of racist and abusive messages, per The Daily Record.
The officers joked in a group chat about starting a race war. Sgt. Stephanie Harvey was accused of proclaiming herself as a mysogynistic racist and suggesting to kill Black Lives Matter protestors.
Miles also said when he tried to speak up about the issue, he was retaliated against by his colleagues. In his complaint, he called for Harvey to be fired.
South Carolina Police Chief
Sullivan’s Island Police Chief Chris Griffin is being sued by two women who allege he sent unsolicited racist and sexist images, per The State. The women say they received around 20 messages that were “sexually explicit, racist and demeaning.”
They reported the texts to the executive director of the SC Police Chiefs Association and an investigation launched into the incident. Griffin’s membership to the association was revoked.
Briarcliffe Volunteer Fire Company
Fanita Bility, 8, was shot and killed by Pennsylvania police after her family vehicle was falsely identified in a drive-by. The Briarcliffe Volunteer Fire Company was put on a 30-day suspension when their members were found making racist comments mocking Bility, per NBC News.
Their comments were recorded in a virtual meeting that allegedly went on for two hours.
Oakland Police Officers
Nine Oakland cops were disciplined for sharing sexist and racist posts on social media, per the LA Times. Seven of the cops were suspended for 25 days. The other two had already gone to other agencies.
Their Instagram account, “crimereductionteam,” featured memes joking about police brutality, rape and other inappropriate content. Third-party investigators confiscated the work phones of 140 officers.
The district court judge hasn’t decided how to handle the Instagram scandal yet.
Michigan Police Officer
A Warren, Michigan police officer is under investigation for making extra racist Facebook comments, per WDIV 4 Detroit. The officer allegedly said Black people are the “biggest racist people in the world” and proceeded to slam our community with every stereotype possible.
The standout post was: “Glad I wasn’t born [Black]. I would kill myself.”
The department claimed an internal investigation is underway. It’s unclear if the cop, whose name was not made public, was suspended.
Pittsburgh Area Police Breakroom
Per AP News, a group of Pennsylvania officers tried to be sneaky and formed a private Facebook group to talk all they trash they want.
From anti-BLM posts, slamming cops who kneeled with protesters to Blue Lives Matter polluted the page. Originally, the group talked about all the boring cop stuff. Then, it got nasty. Many of the members were from Allegheny County.
It’s unclear if the cops faced any discipline for their nonsense.
Aurora Police Officers
Four Aurora Police Department officers were fired for taking a selfie at the site where Elijah McClain died, per NPR. The officers mocked the carotid restraint Elijah was placed in, partly resulting in his death, in the photo.
The photo was shared to one of the officers charged in McClain’s death, Jason Rosenblatt, to “cheer him up.”
Rosenblatt was already fired after the incident. Two officers in the picture were also fired and the third resigned.
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