Corrections & Clarifications: A prior version of this article as well as information on a video misattributed the source of the database of officer Facebook posts. The Plain View Project, launched by Philadelphia lawyer Emily Baker-White, examined the accounts.

The union that represents the rank-and-file of the Phoenix Police Department defended the officers who posted racist and inflammatory commentary on their personal Facebook accounts.

"People — including cops — say things they regret or that are unfortunate," Mike "Britt" London, the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association president, said in a statement. "But to judge an entire police department by a few social-media posts is doing a grave disservice to the nearly 3,000 sworn officers who work the front lines in Phoenix every day."

The Plain View Project, launched by Philadelphia lawyer Emily Baker-White, created a database of public Facebook posts and comments made by current and former police officers from several jurisdictions across the United States, including Phoenix.

The posts, dating back nine years, were compiled into a database. The database includes 179 questionable posts from 75 current Phoenix police officers and 22 retired officers.

BuzzFeed News and the nonprofit news organization Injustice Watch initially reported the story.

London, in a statement to The Arizona Republic, said police officers have used Facebook to raise money for officers who have died in the line of duty and support Phoenix residents, and the investigation didn't highlight these posts.

"Every day, we use social media to better connect and better understand our city," he said. "Unfortunately, in the hunt for negative spin, this anti-police group ignored all that in favor of absolute sensationalism. Their bias says far more about them than it does the police officers they’ve chosen to target."

Pulled from 'enforcement duties'

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams has pulled some of her officers who were identified in the database off of their "enforcement assignments."

"I looked at some of the most egregious posts that I saw and I'm making a conscious choice to move a number of people to kind of a desk assignment so that they can't engage with the public," she said.

Williams didn't specify how many officers she pulled from "enforcement assignments" or what role those officers currently serve in. She said she has asked for an internal investigation to determine whether the officers named in the database actually made the comments and whether the Facebook comments rise to the level of misconduct.

"When I started looking more at the posts, I'll be honest with you, I was shocked," she said Tuesday during an interview with The Arizona Republic. "Shocked at the posts and the comments that clearly promoted and created hate and dissension."

She said that she will review the department's social-media policy and may make changes.

The Phoenix Police Department's social-media policy tells employees to be cautious of their "speech and related activity on social media sites" because it "may be considered a reflection upon their position, and, in some instances, this Department."

It goes on to say that, "Employees are prohibited from using social media in a manner that would cause embarrassment to or discredit the department in any way."

'Good day for a choke hold'

According to the investigation, reporters examined the accounts of about 2,900 police officers from eight departments across the country, including Phoenix. They also reviewed the accounts of an additional 600 retired police officers from the same departments.

Many of the Phoenix officers' posts endorsed violence, in some cases against Mexicans, Muslims, women and criminal defendants.

Reuben Carver III, who has been with the department since 2002, wrote a Facebook post on March 16, 2011, that said, "Its a good day for a choke hold."

Carver wrote a post on Nov. 6, 2012, that he would shoot a baton "straight up his A**" if he ran into a Black Panther Party member or a neo-Nazi at a polling station "trying to intimidate voters."

Phoenix police Officer Joshua Ankert, who has been with the department since 2007, wrote, "CONGRATULATIONS GEORGE ZIMMERMAN!!! Thank you for cleaning up our community one thug at a time," in July 2013, the day after a jury in Florida acquitted Zimmerman of murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Phoenix Officer Ryan Nielsen, a 15-year veteran, wrote a Facebook post in March 2010 complaining about his "ghetto neighbors" having a party and making a lot of noise.

In the comment exchange with someone else, Nielsen wrote that he planned to buy a shotgun but that his AR — presumably referring to the AR-15 firearm — would help protect his house. He also said in the comment section that he may call the Sheriff's Office and report the residence may be a drop house, a term used by law enforcement to describe a property where smugglers house undocumented immigrants as they await payments.

Officer David Pallas, who has been with the department since 1987, uploaded a meme on June 2016 critical of the Obamas. The meme depicts Michelle Obama with a quote that says, "Every single day I wake up in a house that was built by slaves …" Underneath it, there's a picture of famed actor John Wayne with a caption that says, "THEN GET OUT! AND TAKE YOUR GAY MUSLIM HUSBAND WITH YOU."

That same month, Pallas posted another meme depicting the Quran with a caption that reads: "HOW ABOUT BANNING THIS. IT OFFENDS ME!!"

Free speech or hate speech?

Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio defended the officers' "free speech," saying that anyone who was offended is a "liberal snowflake." He said the Facebook posts aren't indicative of a biased culture within the Phoenix Police Department, which has about 2,900 police officers. He added that "free speech is messy."

FROM MEDIA CRITIC BILL GOODYKOONTZ:

Mayor Kate Gallego described the Facebook comments as "hate speech" in a statement. She said the Facebook posts leave a bad mark on the Police Department and that she was "embarrassed and disappointed" when she read the comments.

“This city has absolutely no place for hate," she said. "While these officers are in no way representative of our city’s entire police force, or for that matter, our city, the choice by these officers to promote hate speech is a dark cloud over all of us. Our residents expect our city to provide the same level of service regardless of race, religion, or political beliefs, and we should deliver nothing less.”

Phoenix police is predominantly white

Nearly 73% of the department's 2,937 sworn officers are white, while about 19% are Hispanic and 4% are African American, department data shows. That's compared with a city that, according to U.S. Census data, has a population that is about 42% white, 43% Hispanic and 7% African American.

Last fall, the department began implementing implicit bias training for its officers. It was scheduled to last a year at a cost of $150,000, but could be extended for two more years, at a total price of $450,000.

Instructors are teaching officers about implicit bias, what causes it, how it affects the community, why it is problematic and how to be aware of one's own bias on the job.

Uriel Garcia covers public-safety issues in Arizona. Reach him at uriel.garcia@azcentral.com. Follow him on Twitter @ujohnnyg. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.