The San Jose Police Department's Chief of Police, Anthony Mata, announced that Officer Mark McNamara, a former officer of the department, was dismissed due to racist text messages.
The statement noted by the San Jose Police Department, that during an unrelated criminal investigation into McNamara, the texts were discovered. Mata underlines that his department has zero tolerance towards any form of racial bias and has systems in place, including expanded Internal Affairs investigations, to effectively address such policy violations. McNamara had been a part of the department for six years.
San Jose City Manager Jennifer Maguire expressed solidarity with the department, saying, "There's no room for racial bias in our City. Our workforce deserves and our community better." Mayor Matt Mahan also shared similar sentiments, praising the leadership for promptly uncovering and acting against the racist texts.
