A San Jose police officer has been abruptly dismissed after an internal investigation revealed he had been sending inappropriate text messages that displayed racial bias, the department said Friday.
The officer, identified as Mark McNamara, is a 6-year veteran cop, but no longer a San Jose police officer. He was involved in a police shooting at the La Victoria restaurant in 2022.
On Friday night, San Jose police provided 10 pages of redacted texts, a number with the N-word in them and one of the messages that said “I hate Black people.”
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Police Chief Anthony Mata said that when an internal affairs investigation turned up the racially biased texts, he decided to take swift action.
“I don’t know if they were on duty or not, but these messages are very concerning, these messages contain statements and words that are racially biased. They’re ugly, disgusting, something we don’t tolerate here at the San Jose Police Department. Again, these messages are horrible,” he said.
The texts were sent to a former and a current police officer.
In a social media post Friday, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said he will sleep better knowing the former officer no longer carries a badge or has a gun.
“I was disturbed, and frankly furious. There’s no room for racism in our police department. This undermines public trust. The actions of this individual make our city less safe,” he said.
Earlier this year, federal investigations into racism at Antioch and Pittsburg police departments led to raids and criminal indictments and the FBI arrests of nine officers.
In the San Jose case, Mata says criminal charges have not been filed and are not anticipated.
The current officer is on administrative leave while the department determines his involvement.
Steve Slack, president of the San Jose Police Officers' Association released the following statement on Friday:
“Today’s announcement of racist text messages by a former police officer is a disconcerting reminder that not everyone has the moral compass necessary to be in the law enforcement profession. This behavior is beyond unacceptable, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. This incident represents the actions of an individual. It is not a reflection of those of us who serve with honor and who treat every member of our community with the respect and dignity they deserve. If these allegations are true, then this individual must face the sternest consequences possible. Our union believes that racism, and those who perpetrate it, have no place in our city and no place in law enforcement.”
