When Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of murder last month for shooting the black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times and then falsely claiming the boy had attacked him, many civil rights advocates hailed it as a small step toward police accountability in the fractured city.

The reaction on a notable Facebook page in support of Chicago police officers was quite different: “Very sad...give the keys to the city to the thugs,” said one person.

Chicago Code Blue, where scores of current and former Chicago police officers are followers and occasional commenters, was created two years ago to defend the police force from criticism over McDonald’s shooting. But posts on the page, which has more than 53,000 followers, quickly went far beyond boosterism. Many comments spew racist hate and encourage police to abuse suspects.

Several San Francisco Police officers could face punishment for sending racist and homophobic text messages after a decision by the California Supreme Court. On Wednesday the court denied the officer's appeal and upheld a lower court's ruling that said the Police Department could discipline the officers. The text messages, which were sent between 2011-2012 came to light during a federal corruption probe of a SFPD officer. The messages disparaged homosexuals and African-Americans.