NBC 6 has confirmed the three former Fort Lauderdale Police Officers who were fired after being caught sending racist text messages and a video met with Chief Frank Adderley Wednesday in an attempt to fight to get their jobs back.
The former cops — Christopher Sousa, Jason Holding and James Wells — argued that being fired was too severe a punishment.
The police department is not providing any details about the meeting, but NBC 6 has learned, based on today's meeting, Chief Adderly will consult with legal team on their future.
The Broward State Attorney's Office was forced top drop more than 40 cases linked to the officers.
Officers Jason Holding, James Wells and Christopher Sousa were fired following an extensive internal affairs investigation, Police Chief Frank Adderley announced last month.
A fourth officer, Alex Alvarez, resigned during the course of the investigation and would have been fired, Chief Adderly said at the time.
The inappropriate material included images of President Barack Obama and fellow Fort Lauderdale Police officers.
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According to a police report on the firings, the officers criticized co-workers' appearance and work ethic, and they "exchanged text messages that included derogatory comments towards Hispanics and homosexuals."
In response to the incident, the department has created a human diversity class that every officer will attend on a yearly basis, and they will be evaluating their screening process for newly hired employees.
