With increasing scrutiny on police forces nationwide regarding racism, brutality, and stereotyping, four Florida cops are without jobs tonight.
An internal affairs investigation beginning in October 2014 discovered inappropriate material exchanged by four officers that included racist text messages, a disturbing racist video, and pictures of the KKK, President Obama, and more.
NBC Miami reported:
“…the officers criticized co-workers’ appearance and work ethic, and they ‘exchanged text messages that included derogatory comments towards Hispanics and homosexuals.'”
NBC identified the officers as Jason Holding, James Wells, Christopher Sousa, and Alex Alvarez.
The investigation began after the former fiancee of Alvarez reported the inappropriate text messages after she found them on his phone. Some of the text messages found included these messages:
“I had a [expletive] dream that you two found those two n—–s?in the VW and gave them the death penalty right there on the spot.”
“I’d have the noose ready.”
“Holdings we are coming and drinking all your beer and killing n_____s”
The video found in the investigation was described by reporter Jamie Guirola with NBC 6 as,?“dark, it is disturbing, it is offensive.”?
Chief Frank Adderley stated that the conduct was not against the law; however, he had this to say about the officers’ conduct:
“The four officers’ conduct was inexcusable and there is zero tolerance for this type of behavior within the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.”
As a result, Holding, Wells, and Sousa, were fired, and Alvarez resigned though he would have been fired.
Along with requiring officers to attend a human diversity class and evaluating the screening process of hiring new employees,?Adderley added:
“We will do everything we can to educate our officers of the consequences they face if they do not adhere to the zero tolerance to racism within our agency.”
I want to commend the Fort Lauderdale Police Department for actually standing up and saying they would not tolerate this behavior.?I want to thank them for that. It would be all too easy to sweep this under the rug and make it go away as we’ve seen in the recent past. I’m white. Being mistreated by police is not something I have to worry about on a daily basis.?However, black men and women nationwide have to worry about this when they step out of their door every day, and that is absolutely unacceptable and wrong. Hopefully, this will not only serve as a lesson to local officers in Florida but a lesson to officers nationwide.
To see the press conference with Chief Adderley watch the video below.
