Officers disciplined in wake of Oakland police Instagram investigation – East Bay Times

OAKLAND — Ten current or former Oakland police officers were found to have been involved with an Instagram account that featured racist, misogynists posts or violated department policies in other ways online, according to an announcement from the city. Investigations by a third-party investigation firm and by Oakland’s Community Police Review Agency found that the officers who were found to have violated a variety of department policies ranged in rank from officer to Lieutenant. The discipline imposed on them ranged from a three-day unpaid suspension to a 25-day unpaid suspension, according to a news release from the office of Mayor Libby Schaaf. “Sexist and racist behaviors are far too prevalent in our culture and have no place in our public safety institutions,” Schaaf said in a written statement. “I wholeheartedly and strongly condemn any behavior, including online communications, that supports or engages with sexist or racist tropes.” The Instagram account, which was named “@crimereductionteam” — the name of a specific Oakland Police Department entity — posted multiple memes and captions that mocked efforts to curb police brutality. The investigation determined that the offensive account was created by a former Oakland police officer shortly after he had been fired for violating…
Read More