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| SF police officers take the 'Not-On-My-Watch' pledge. |
AN Afghan/American Muslim member of the San Francisco Police Department says he’s been a target of retaliation after complaining to his superiors about racist and religious remarks made by fellow officers.
San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi told reporters the officer’s case demonstrated that the department was still beset by deeply ingrained bias.
“In order to eliminate racism in the ranks, police culture must rid itself of its ‘no snitching’ ethos,” Adachi said at a press conference “Fear of speaking out due to retaliation has been an enormous barrier to real reform in San Francisco.”
In a statement read at the news conference by the officer, who chose to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said he came to the United States with his parents with he was 8 years old and wanted to join the police department from a young age.
"I've been labeled a rat," he told reporters. "And I fear for my safety." He said he finally decided to go public with his allegations because he has "lost faith" in the police department's internal affairs investigative process.
“When I joined the San Francisco police department, I was fulfilling a boyhood dream,” he wrote. “I had admired the SFPD since my family came to this country. I was 8 years old, and a kind SFPD officer helped my family find their way after arriving at SFO.”
The officer recently graduated from the police academy and was assigned to SFPD’s Central Station located in North Beach.
“That’s when I experienced blatant racism and bigotry toward me by some officers and Sergeants,” the statement continued. “They also expressed their contempt towards other minorities. I told them many times that their racist comments and actions towards me needed to stop. When their behavior escalated, that’s when I decided to make a formal complaint to HR.”
He made a complaint, Nov. 9 last year, in which he alleged he was not only harassed for being Middle Eastern and Muslim, but witnessed racism and homophobia by officers.
In his complaint to the Department of Human resources, the officer’s proposed remedy was that the officers involved receive cultural sensitivity training and that the SFPD academy teach Middle Eastern cultural studies.
The SFPD responded to the allegations in a statement, saying that they are being taken “very seriously.” Three investigations into the claims by the SFPD and Department of Human Resources are currently ongoing.
“SFPD will thoroughly investigate all alleged misconduct uncovered during these investigations which implicates any member of this department,” the statement reads.
It is not the first time allegations of racism has targeted the SFPD. In SFPD faced in 2015, a federal court case revealed that a group of officers had sent racist and homophobic text messages to each other. Many of the messages were anti-Asian.
“When I joined the San Francisco police department, I was fulfilling a boyhood dream,” he wrote. “I had admired the SFPD since my family came to this country. I was 8 years old, and a kind SFPD officer helped my family find their way after arriving at SFO.”
The officer recently graduated from the police academy and was assigned to SFPD’s Central Station located in North Beach.
“That’s when I experienced blatant racism and bigotry toward me by some officers and Sergeants,” the statement continued. “They also expressed their contempt towards other minorities. I told them many times that their racist comments and actions towards me needed to stop. When their behavior escalated, that’s when I decided to make a formal complaint to HR.”
He made a complaint, Nov. 9 last year, in which he alleged he was not only harassed for being Middle Eastern and Muslim, but witnessed racism and homophobia by officers.
In his complaint to the Department of Human resources, the officer’s proposed remedy was that the officers involved receive cultural sensitivity training and that the SFPD academy teach Middle Eastern cultural studies.
The SFPD responded to the allegations in a statement, saying that they are being taken “very seriously.” Three investigations into the claims by the SFPD and Department of Human Resources are currently ongoing.
“SFPD will thoroughly investigate all alleged misconduct uncovered during these investigations which implicates any member of this department,” the statement reads.
It is not the first time allegations of racism has targeted the SFPD. In SFPD faced in 2015, a federal court case revealed that a group of officers had sent racist and homophobic text messages to each other. Many of the messages were anti-Asian.
In 2016, a Chinese/American police officer resignged after it was found that he sent anti-black, anti-Latinon and homophobic texts to fellow officers.
In response to the numerous incidents, “The department has instituted implicit bias and procedural justice training for all sworn and civilian members; implemented best practices recommendations from the U.S. Department of Justice; instituted electronic audits of communications; entered into agreements with academic partners to analyze vehicle stops and the use of force; and launched the Not-On-My-Watch campaign to promote improved relations between officers and the public,” SFPD said in a statement.
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