Judge: Officers in Racists Texts Case Can Keep Their Jobs, Tolerance Works Both Ways.

[Take Your Tolerance And Shove It]

The San Francisco police officers who exchanged racists and
homophobic text messages in 2012 will be allowed to keep their
jobs and will not face discipline, a judge ruled Monday.

Superior Court judge Ernest Goldsmith ruled the police
department waited too long to address the misconduct
allegations, ignoring a one-year statute of limitations for any
personnel probe, the San Francisco Chronicle reported
(http://sfg.ly/1kdOeQl).

Goldsmith said that he was upholding the ruling because the
Peace Officer Bill of Rights, in particular the statute of
limitations, exists to protect not just law enforcement, but the
public.

The texts were disclosed in a 2014 court filing prosecutors made
in the corruption case of former officer Ian Furminger.

Police Chief Greg Suhr then moved to fire eight officers, two of
whom have since retired, and to discipline six others.

Officer Rain Daugherty filed a lawsuit filed a lawsuit against
the city in May, arguing he and the other officers shouldn't be
fired because the department obtained the inflammatory texts in
December 2012 but didn't start the disciplinary process until
two years later.

City attorneys and police officials say they plan to appeal the
decision.

"The fact that San Francisco is forced to retain police officers
that demonstrated explicit racism will have ramifications for
the reputation of the department, the fair administration of
justice, and the trust of the community SFPD serves," District
Attorney George Gascon said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-officers-racists-texts-
case-jobs-35899845