New York City Police Chiefs Violated Department Policy with “Demeaning” Social Media Posts, Report Finds
A recent report by the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD has faulted two high-ranking police officials, Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry and current top uniformed member John Chell, for making “demeaning” and “unprofessional” social media posts that attacked civil servants and journalists.
The report, released on Tuesday, found that the posts were in violation of department policies related to being courteous and civil, and raised concerns about whether they may have engaged in prohibited political activity.
According to the report, Chell made several posts on the social media platform X, including one that accused a New York judge of allowing a “predator” to be loose on the city’s streets, and another that attacked a progressive member of the City Council. Chell also called on his followers to “vote the change you seek,” which could violate the Hatch Act, a federal law that prohibits political activity by government employees.
Daughtry, in turn, made posts that mocked journalists and accused them of spreading misinformation about the administration’s achievements.
The report found that the online attacks were not only damaging to the reputation of the NYPD but also “diminished senior law enforcement officers in the eyes of the public.”
A NYPD spokesperson said that the department has made significant changes to its social media practices since the investigation was launched last year, but did not indicate whether any officials would face consequences for violating department policy.
The City Council, which had criticized the posts, welcomed the report’s findings and called on the NYPD to hold its officials accountable and ensure that their social media practices align with the city’s established policy.