RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said Friday that the former Rancho Cordova Police Chief was under investigation before she retired in 2021.
In a letter to Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, Greater Sacramento chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Betty Williams says she saw evidence that former Rancho Cordova Police Chief Kate Adams sent "racially charged text(s) pictures(s) to many other Sheriff’s Department employees." The NAACP also says that complaints were made against Adams involving homophobic slurs.
Adams retired in September of 2021. The city has a law enforcement services contract with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.
“I was made aware an investigation began and stopped when Captain/Chief Adams retired,” Williams says in the letter. “Among some of the evidence that I have seen, is a very disturbing picture which was passed around to many Sheriff’s Department employees.”
The NAACP says the photo shows a white man holding a garden hose, projecting a stream of water onto the back of a young Black boy who is standing in a plastic swimming pool. A caption on the photo includes the N-word, according to the NAACP.
“Seeing what I have seen, there is no ‘punchline’ or ‘funny quip’ to the picture,” Williams says in the letter. “It cannot be classified as a joke. It’s an obvious racist depiction of a grown white man degrading young black boy just because he’s Black.”
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office released a statement in response to the letter.
“Allegations came to our attention that warranted investigation,” the statement says. “It was the Sheriff’s decision to have county council appoint an outside investigator to investigate the allegation, to maintain independence and avoid any appearance of internal bias.”
In their statement, the Sheriff's office says they cannot comment further because it was not their investigation.
Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, and chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, said the investigation of Adams has to finish.
"The investigation of Captain Adams must be completed and if the allegations are found to be confirmed, she should lose her post certification so that she is unable to be hired by any other law enforcement agency to continue racist and hateful misconduct in another community," Bradford said. "In addition, the 100s or perhaps 1,000s of cases she’s handled over the years, under a climate of bias, must all be reviewed in an independent investigation.”
Adams started as an Assistant Chief of Police for the Rancho Cordova Police Department in 2013 before taking the role of chief in 2020. Brandon Luke was hired as Adams' replacement.
The incident was first reported by the Sacramento Bee.
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