May. 4, 2024 By Robert Pozarycki
The City Council has called for an investigation into the use of the NYPD’s official social media accounts after some brass have used them to publicly criticize both elected officials and members of the press.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) made the formal request to the Department of Investigation’s Office of the Inspector General (IG) for the NYPD. The request came a day after Chief of Patrol John Chell posted on X (formerly Twitter) a since-deleted post publicly criticizing City Council Member Tiffany Cabán for her condemnation of the NYPD’s actions in breaking up pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University and City College earlier in the week.
Speaker Adams wants the IG to “urgently conduct an official investigation and review that produces a subsequent report on the NYPD’s policies, practices and operations related to its use of social media.” She believes that high-ranking NYPD officials have used the official accounts to target “public officials and members of the public in ways that can be construed as intimidating, dangerous and veering into political activity, in conflict with city laws and policies.”