While it is understandable that Cleveland officials are frustrated with their inability to discipline an officer over antisemitic social media posts made before the officer was hired, the decision seems to have been the right one, given the timing of the city implementing its own policies on social media background checks.

Still, the opportunity should be taken to improve the way law enforcement agencies identify and address officers’ biases before they are hired.

In Cleveland, new training policies will include behavioral-based interviews, social media monitoring, implicit and explicit bias training and mandatory cultural competency training across all public safety divisions by the end of 2023.

Members of the public have a right to know an officer’s decision-making will not be affected by bigotry; or at least that law enforcement agencies have done their very best to vet and train officers.

The officer in question will receive a note in his personnel file. That seems right, given how much time has passed since the offending posts. But it should serve as a reminder to all of us — not only that we might be judged based on long-forgotten social media posts from years ago, but that we are not free of the consequences of those words.