2016 was filled with exposes of racism in police departments across the country. This one is a little bit different, however. Three rookie Miami police officers were fired last week after superiors discovered a WhatsApp chat log in which they made jokes about using a predominantly black neighborhood for target practice. The twist? Two of the three officers were at least partially african american.
Officers Kevin Bergnes, Miguel Valdes and Bruce Alcin were fired last week, per the Miami Herald. The city is currently under scrutiny by the US Department of Justice after a string of questionable police shootings, so there was a very low threshold for any questionable comments. The conversations started when a new police recruit asked them for shooting range suggestions. Bergnes suggested he “got to model city they have moving targets” and Valdes followed up with a specific intersection that has “moving targets and they don’t charge.” The officers never make any racial comments in the discussion, but the implication is there.
An attorney for the three officers has declared the officers are not racist due to the fact that they have black heritage. He also says the trio has plans to sue the city for discrimination.