Kelly: Discipline of cops for rant possible
NYPD Chief of Police Raymond Kelly at a press conference. (Nov. 20, 2011) Credit: Charles Eckert
The political furor over derogatory Facebook comments about policing of the West Indian Day Parade escalated Wednesday as NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly threatened to discipline cops who may have been involved.
"It is disturbing when anyone denigrates a community with hateful speech," Kelly said in a statement. "It is unacceptable when police officers do it."
Kelly said that at his direction, police internal affairs investigators probed the postings on the now defunct Internet site "No More West Indian Day Detail" and determined that 20 offensive comments were associated with names of cops.
Some of those messages are from the same officer, said one official. The officers were being interviewed and some, if necessary, are having their computer records subpoenaed, said Kelly.
The NYPD could bring administrative charges against any cops whose computer activity was found to be "unbecoming a police officer," he said.
Penalties could range from a reprimand to firing. Web comments disclosed by Brooklyn Defender Services, a group that represents people in criminal cases, labeled parade revelers as "animals" and "savages."
Kelly's comments gratified a number of city officials, including members of the City Council, who held an impromptu news conference on the steps of City Hall Wednesday to denounce the postings.
"I am happy for that, [but] that is not enough," said council member Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn) of Kelly's actions.
"What we need is the mayor to begin to care about this," said Williams. "If he doesn't care, the commissioner won't care. We need the [police] commissioner to show the same leadership that was shown keeping us safe from terrorism for the past 10 years."
Civil liberties attorneys said the NYPD has to tread carefully in disciplining cops for their posting.
"Cops off the job can express themselves -- even if it is offensive, repugnant, wrong-minded -- so long as it doesn't interfere with job performance," said attorney Norman Siegel. "These comments, if made by NYPD officers, does in fact illustrate a serious problem within the NYPD."
The latest probe comes weeks after YouTube videos of NYPD officers dancing suggestively with female revelers at the parade.
No officers were disciplined in that incident.
