So the post about the confederate flag reminded me about an article I read last week. A police sergeant from Georgia was fired from her job after someone complained about her flying a confederate flag in front of her house. She claimed that she didn't know that people found the flag offensive and is currently appealing the termination.

In a somewhat related case, a NYPD Detective is being investigated after posting racist and bigoted statements, including referring to the Black wife of the mayor as a "crack addict". As a result of his Facebook rants, a case involving his shooting of Black suspect (now thought to be unarmed) is being reexamined.

So given the public nature of police work, if a police officer publicly supports a belief that can be considered harmful to a certain population, should there be repercussions? Why or why not?

Do police have the right to express their opinions in their personal lives?

Do you think police can personally disdain certain groups, but still serve them properly?