A suspended San Francisco police officer was recently arrested and charged with robbing a bank after two internal affairs officers and a bank teller later identified him. The officer also faces administrative charges for sending racist text messages.
Shortly after 2 p.m. on November 29, suspended San Francisco Police Officer Rain Daugherty allegedly entered an East West Bank branch and handed a note to the bank teller demanding cash in $50 and $100 bills. According to the teller, the bank robber said something to the effect of “calm down, just do it.”
As the first teller began collecting the money, a second bank teller noticed the robbery and pressed the alarm before leaving the area to notify the bank manager. Daugherty has been accused of stealing approximately $9,050 from the bank without bothering to wear a facial disguise.
After the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) reviewed the bank’s security cameras, two internal affairs officers recognized Daugherty in the video images. They compared the bank robbery video with surveillance videos of Daugherty during an unrelated investigation and discovered that he had been wearing the same clothes in both videos. During a photo lineup, one of the bank tellers also positively identified Daugherty as the bank robber.
In 2015, Daugherty was one of nine current and former San Francisco officers accused in administrative disciplinary charges for allegedly sending racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, and sexist text messages sent in 2011 and 2012. According to the recent criminal complaint, Daugherty was already on suspension from the SFPD without pay due to an unrelated criminal investigation in San Mateo County.
In a recent statement, the San Francisco Police Officer Association said they are “disgusted by the alleged criminal actions of one of our former members and a currently suspended member of the SFPD.”
The police union added, “We are sworn to uphold the law and are dedicated to honorably serving all San Franciscans. This individual should be held accountable for this shameful act he is accused of and if found guilty, through due process, he should face the appropriate consequences. We appreciate those SFPD members who assisted the FBI in this investigation.”
Daugherty faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted of bank robbery.
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