The New York City Department of Investigation is calling out top NYPD officials whose social media posts reflect “irresponsible and unprofessional” behavior.
A 44-page report released on Jan. 28 revealed that NYPD executives’ social media accounts violated city policies concerning “courtesy and civility.” Notable offenders included NYPD Chief of Department John Chell and Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, Gothamist reports.
Based on the findings, the DOI said some of the online behavior remains inconclusive but did “raise questions” about whether the social media posts “may be deemed prohibited engagement in political activity by city employees.”
“New York City deserves public officials who use social media responsibly, to communicate accurate information and to prompt respectful dialogue on issues of importance to the community, and not as a means to ridicule those with whom they disagree,” DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said in a statement.
“No aspect of the social media exchanges that DOI reviewed in this investigation served the public.”
The NYPD, the nation’s largest police department, employs nearly 50,000 personnel and aced scrutiny last year for representing a combative culture. Among the combative behaviors include tweets from the NYPD’s executive staff where posts on X targeted various individuals, including a Supreme Court judge, journalists, public members, and elected officials.
In 2024, Chell tweeted that sitting Councilmember Tiffany Cabán “hates our city.” He shared the tweet after Cabán critiqued the NYPD’s response to anti-Israel protests on college campuses. In a follow-up tweet, he told his followers to “vote the change you seek,” a statement that, according to the report, could potentially breach the Hatch Act, a federal law that restricts political activities of government employees involved in federal programs.
There were multiple instances where Chell and Daughtry were accused of assigning mocking nicknames to journalists whom they accused of spreading false information about the administration’s accomplishments. Investigators have determined that the online attacks violated fundamental internal guidelines.
“They violated department policies related to being courteous and civil, and raise questions with respect to whether they may be deemed prohibited engagement in political activity by City employees,” the report reads.
The NYPD responded to the report through a spokesperson, stating that the department has implemented “significant changes to its social media practices” since the investigation began last year. However, no word has been given on whether any officials would face consequences for breaching department policy.
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