The Dallas Police Department has acknowledged four police officers are on paid administrative leave, with 25 under investigation for allegedly racists comments made via social media.
This came to light following an investigation by The Plain View Project, a group which reviews the social media posts of law enforcement officers. They reviewed content from several police forces around the country. In Philadelphia 72 cops were placed on leave and similar investigations are underway in St. Louis and Phoenix according to WFAA.
Reportedly more than 5,000 posts from 300 active Dallas cops have been collected by the Plain View Project according to Newsweek. The posts contain racist comments, jokes about the use of violence by police.
“We take these matters seriously and we want to ensure the community that we will not tolerate racism, bigotry or hatred of any kind in our organization,” Dallas police Chief U. Renee Hall said in a written statement.
“The Dallas Police Department prides itself on maintaining the highest standards of ethics and integrity while providing service to the community without prejudice,” Hall said.
Dallas police are already under pressure as murders have raised alarm in recent months, while the force is short-staffed by up to 500 officers.
Below is a screenshot shared by Newsweek reportedly from the account of a Dallas cop.
