Police officers that support extremist, racist groups are resisting attempts to dismiss them from the ranks, arguing that they have the right to free speech and assembly. (The New York Times, May 11, 2021, by Neil MacFarquhar)
A Sparks, Nevada police officer filed a $1 million lawsuit against the city for suspending him after they found social media posts that celebrated the idea of shooting Black Lives Matter activists and referred to women as bitches and pussies. The officer claims the posts were made off duty and as a private citizen The comments, though, seem to violate a number police policies. (This Is Reno, May 7, 2021, by Kristen Hackbarth and Bob Conrad)
The January 5 insurrection prompted the move to remove extremist police officers as over a dozen off-duty officers allegedly committed violent acts on the Capitol grounds. Law professor Vida Johnson looks at the problem long-term and suggested diversifying police departments. He suggested that departments can set social media policies that prevent racist rants online, and they should also screen officers regularly. Johnson argues that there competing interests to First Amendment rights, ” There are cases that say that an officer might have a First Amendment right to express some of his views, but his right to express those views don’t outweigh the police department’s interest in a good relationship with the public. Anything that undermines the integrity of the office is grounds for dismissal.” (Mother Jones, January 28, 2021, by Samantha Michaels)