Social media posts by NYPD brass that attacked New York Metropolis elected officers and members of the media final yr have been “irresponsible and unprofessional” and didn’t serve the general public, the Division of Investigation mentioned Tuesday.
The DOI discovered that the posts — largely by present Chief of Division John Chell and Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry — violated the town’s social media insurance policies and weren’t correctly vetted by the NYPD.
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber mentioned social media ought to be used to tell New Yorkers and “not as a means to ridicule those with whom they disagree.”
“No aspect of the social media exchanges that DOI reviewed in this investigation served the public,” Strauber mentioned in an announcement Tuesday.
DOI’s overview didn’t come to a conclusion on whether or not the posts additionally violated the town’s ban on utilizing authorities assets for political exercise.
Chief of Division John Chell. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Every day Information)
The overview was sparked by a Could 3 criticism from Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who objected to a variety of posts by Chell and Daughtry throughout Mayor Adams’ tenure. Speaker Adams referred to as the posts “troubling, intimidating and dangerous.”
In Could, for instance, Chell attacked Metropolis Councilwoman Tiffany Caban on social media after Caban critiqued the police raids on protesters at Columbia College and Metropolis School.
“I started to read this garbage and quickly realized this is coming from a person who hates our city and certainly does not represent the great people of NYC,” Chell wrote.
The publish was deleted after which Chell wrote a second message reposting it. “Like I said it was an accident … I’m back!!!!”
Caban
Councilwoman Tiffany Caban. (Shawn Inglima for New York Every day Information)
Since then, posts by Chell and Daughtry have change into much more muted, specializing in issues like arrests and recruiting. Chell did create a private web page on X in October, however has posted simply six instances on that, most just lately on Nov. 29.
On Jan. 1, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch promoted Chell to Chief of Division after Jeffrey Maddrey resigned within the midst of an investigation into an alleged affair with a feminine lieutenant who made greater than $200,000 in extra time in fiscal 2024.
In an announcement a police spokesman mentioned, “We appreciate DOI’s comprehensive report. As the report notes, the NYPD has already made significant changes to its social media practices. We look forward to reviewing the report and recommendations.”
Initially Revealed: January 28, 2025 at 3:33 PM EST
