Suspended San Francisco cops back on the job 

updated 9:11 a.m. ET Dec. 16, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO - All 24 officers suspended for their involvement in a police video that was criticized as having sexist and racist content have been allowed to return to work.

But Police Chief Heather Fong said an investigation was continuing and officers could still face discipline.

“This does not signify the conclusion of this matter,” Fong said.

The officers were suspended last week after portions of the 28-minute video were released. Scenes included a white officer running over a black homeless woman and a traffic cop pulling over a woman to ogle her. Mayor Gavin Newsom and Fong quickly condemned the clips, calling them racist, sexist and homophobic.

Sixteen of the officers were allowed to return to work in the field, while eight were assigned to administrative duties that don’t involve public contact, said police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens.

Among those assigned to administrative duty was the video’s creator, Officer Andrew Cohen. He later apologized for its negative impact and vowed to work toward improving relations between police officers and the community.

Cohen has defended the video as satirical, saying it was a spoof for an office holiday party as a send-off for a retiring captain.

“I intend to work with my department to take what has happened and make something good come from it,” Cohen, 39, said in a statement.

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