Roughly one month after placing an unprecedented 72 officers on desk duty, the Philadelphia Police Department completed its probe into inappropriate social media use. It announced that thirteen officers will be placed on unpaid suspension with intent to terminate.

Appearing in a press conference Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross announced the firings. He added that an additional 56 officers would be facing disciplinary actions ranging from formal reprimands to unpaid 30-day suspensions.

“I continue to be very angered and disappointed by these posts, many of which, in my view, violate the basic tenets of human decency,” Ross said. He added that the department must “move past this ridiculous hate that just consumes this country and has done so for centuries.”

The department was forced to act after a database of racist and/or offensive social media posts was published as part of The Plain View Project, which collected objectionable posts from officers connected to law enforcement agencies across seven different jurisdictions.

According to Ross, 69 of those 72 posted statements “erode the trust necessary for a police department to carry out its core mission.” The local Fraternal Order of Police condemned racism and hate speech, adding that “the vast majority of officers do their job with integrity and professionalism.”

Preaching Angles: The best leaders in the community are servant leaders, and model humility through their public conduct. If you don't have the ability to adopt a servant posture, you shouldn't be in leadership.

Source: Chris Palmer, “Philadelphia Police Department to fire 13 officers over offensive Facebook posts” The Philadelphia Inquirer.com (7-18-19)