SAN FRANCISCO 35 officers may be punished for video skits

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Seven San Francisco police officers face possible firing for their roles in producing video skits last year that Mayor Gavin Newsom and Chief Heather Fong denounced as racist and sexist, department officials said Thursday.

Another 28 officers could be suspended for a maximum of 10 days apiece if found guilty of misconduct charges, police said.

The video skits, some of which Newsom and Fong made public last December, were created for the Bayview Station's 2005 Christmas party. One skit depicted an officer running over a homeless woman, and another showed a male police officer pulling over a female motorist and ogling her.

At the time, Fong said the videos showed "shameful and despicable acts" by officers while on duty and immediately suspended two dozen officers. All were later reinstated while the disciplinary investigation went forward.

The seven officers facing the most serious penalties will have their cases heard by the Police Commission, which could impose lengthy suspensions or fire them. The other 28 officers will have their cases heard by Fong.

Life in the Blue City.