May 13th 2024.
The New York City Council recently held a special hearing that focused on the usage of social media by NYPD officers and officials. This hearing was prompted by allegations of improper usage that had been brought to light. As the hearing progressed, tensions began to rise, with accusations that the department had been using social media accounts to target public officials and private citizens in an inappropriate manner.
Chief of Patrol John Chell and Deputy Commissioners Kaz Daughtry and Tarik Sheppard were scheduled to testify at the hearing, but they did not show up. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams was eager to question Chell about a post he had made on Twitter, in which he had referred to City Council member Tiffany Cabán's criticism of the NYPD's response to a protest as "garbage" and had labeled her a "colossal disgrace." This had prompted Adams to request an investigation into the department's use of official social media accounts, of which there were a total of 250.
However, as it turns out, Chell's controversial tweet was actually a result of an unfortunate accident. He had been playing a game where he replaced words in tweets, and this particular tweet had been the result. But despite this explanation, critics still felt that the department had gone too far in their use of social media.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban came to the defense of his officials, stating that he gave them the autonomy to speak directly to the public through social media. He also mentioned that his executives were very passionate about their work and their respective bureaus. However, after Chell's tweet where he admitted that the department would use all social media platforms to confront anti-police rhetoric and would not apologize for it, critics became even more vocal about their concerns.
City officials, including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Comptroller Brad Lander, and others, sent a letter to New York City Mayor and retired police captain Eric Adams, urging him to take action against Chell and other officers who were accused of abusing their access to social media. According to Politico, they believed that Chell's tweet, where he told his followers "You know what to do," in regards to potentially voting out Cabán, was a clear conflict of interest.
The group strongly denounced Chell's actions, calling them "completely unacceptable, undemocratic, illegal, dangerous, and false." However, Mayor Adams chose to stand by his former colleagues, stating that NYPD was "the kindest, gentlest, and most loving police department on the globe." This statement only added fuel to the fire, as many felt that it downplayed the seriousness of the situation.
After it was announced that an investigation would be launched into the NYPD's social media use and exchanges, a spokesperson from Mayor Adams' office pushed back, stating that they hoped the investigation would also include City Council members. They believed that a small group of advocates and council members had been using their social media to make disparaging comments against the hardworking public servants of the city, and only supported speech that was politically convenient for them.
The Legal Aid Society welcomed the investigation, stating that the posts made by NYPD officials had served as a way to spread misinformation and malign protesters. They also believed that these posts had a chilling effect on future protests. In one instance, an NYPD official had even misidentified a judge, criticizing them for releasing a convicted criminal without bail. When questioned about this, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves stated that it was up to the precinct commander to decide what would be posted on their social media accounts.
Chell, on the other hand, refused to apologize for his attacks on Cabán, stating that he would rather not do so. He believed that his actions were justified, especially in light of what the cops had done the night before on the city's campuses. However, Cabán saw things differently and was concerned about the level of force, privilege, and control that the department believed they had over regular citizens. She believed that this should be a cause for concern for everyone.
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