Category: Social Media

A public safety officer is being investigated for videos he posted on social media. The investigation by the public safety department is looking at whether Cedric Danilson violated the city of Cedar Falls’ employee social media policies. Danilson was sworn in as a public safety officer in August 2018, according to Courier files. Craig Berte, acting chief of police, acknowledged an investigation around the videos when asked about Danilson…

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A 25-year law enforcement veteran is under fire for posting on his Facebook page comments described as homophobic, and city officials quickly decried the thread and its sentiments. Tahlequah Police Detective Jeff Haney posted a meme that depicted two naked men on a motorcycle, with the words “Bikers for Buttigieg.” The meme referred to Pete Buttigieg, an openly gay Democratic candidate for president who is a professed Christian in…

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The Ackerman Police Department has reprimanded a police officer for an offensive social media post about a mentally ill man missing since August. Ackerman Police Chief Tim Cook said Officer Amanda Vance was reprimanded for using abusive language regarding 27-year-old Travis Sean Hunt, whose whereabouts remain unknown. The offending post refers to allegations that the search for Hunt has been put off too long, saying, “Nobody has put anything off!!…

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The assistant police chief of a tiny Alabama town has apologized for a Facebook post in which he suggested U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could be targeted with a roadside bomb. Jeff Buckles, the assistant chief of the Geraldine police department, took to Facebook after Pelosi, the Democratic House leader, ripped apart a copy of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. “Pelosi just ripped…

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DALLAS — More than a dozen Dallas police officers have been disciplined for making offensive statements on social media, including posts that were bigoted or made light of police violence. The police department announced Thursday that 13 officers whose posts violated department policy would receive punishments ranging from a written reprimand to unpaid suspension. Two more cases are still being reviewed and one officer resigned, the department said in…

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Two police chiefs in Vermont’s largest city were ousted Monday after they anonymously taunted and “engaged” critics of Burlington’s police department, officials said. The first chief to go, Brandon del Pozo, resigned Monday. The departure came after a local newspaper, Seven Days, reported that the former chief had targeted Charles Winkleman, a local political activist and critic of the department, with a series of tweets over the summer under the handle “Winklewatchers.”…

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PEORIA — A former Peoria police officer, fired last year for breaking departmental policy and what the city thought was inappropriate use of social media, has regained his job and back pay. A Dec. 23 decision by an arbitrator held that Jeremy Layman’s posts on Facebook may or may not have been offensive — but that’s not enough to fire him. “Just cause mandates that the City act on…

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — An arbitrator has ruled an Akron police detective fired earlier this year over a social media post about Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan should get his job back, according to the union that represents the city’s officers. The arbitrator found the city’s February firing of 23-year department veteran James Anthony to be excessive, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President Michael Leslie said in a…

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The Warwick Police Department is facing criticism for its handling of social media, after recent posts including identifying a dark-skinned suspect as the “Frito Bandito” — and elicited a “bring the watermelon” comment on a post regarding two black suspects.  Warwick Police Chief Colonel Rick Rathbun addressed the “Frito-Bandito” post — and why the Department took it down, but plans on re-posting the appeal — with a new post. …

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MINDEN, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – One of two Minden police officers fired last month for posting racist comments on social media is back on the job after his dismissal was overturned, and his brother who was fired for the same reason could soon be back on the job, too. Shane Griffith was terminated by the Minden City Council on Sept. 3 after posts on Facebook surfaced showing Griffith using racial slurs….

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“To protect and to serve” has become the ubiquitous motto of law enforcement departments across America. But now a group of attorneys are questioning the boundaries of that creed — through a database exposing thousands of discriminatory and violent social media posts from police officers. The database, called the Plain View Project, was launched by Philadelphia criminal defense attorney Emily Baker-White in June after she discovered violent and racist memes…

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PHOENIX — Two Phoenix police officers involved in separate incidents that drew national outrage, including one who pointed a gun and yelled profanities at a black family, will be fired, the chief of police said Tuesday. “I expect more. You deserve more,” Chief Jeri Williams said at a news conference. “Unlike other professions, we don’t have a luxury of a do-over.” Williams said she notified Officer Christopher Meyer of…

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The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission ordered the Boston Fire Department on Thursday to fully investigate allegations that a firefighter made racist and otherwise controversial comments on social media, following the firing of one firefighter who faced similar allegations. The decision issued Thursday instructs the department to investigate the allegations that a firefighter, referred to as “MG,” wrote the “n-word” in a Facebook post and mocked a black homeless man…

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At least two sergeants with the Phoenix Police Department will be disciplined for sharing inflammatory Facebook posts vilifying Muslims and maligning others. But rather than face consequences for violating department policy, some officers are bemoaning their perceived lack of free speech, applying for jobs elsewhere, and even suing the city for trying to discipline them at all. In June, hundreds of offensive Facebook posts from Phoenix police officers were made public…

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PITTSBURGH —Pittsburgh paramedic David Morris has been suspended with pay, his attorney said Friday. “David apologizes because that is not what’s in his heart,” attorney Milton Raiford said, adding that Morris has been a paramedic for 28 years and hopes to continue in the job. A spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto confirmed the paid suspension and said, “That is normal procedure while such matters are being reviewed.” Mayor Bill…

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A police sergeant is suing the Phoenix Police Department in federal court, claiming the agency violated his First Amendment rights by trying to discipline him for his Facebook posts that disparaged Muslims and undocumented immigrants. Sgt. Juan Hernandez shared 11 memes or “news articles” that say Muslims are criminals or refer to immigrants as illegal. Hernandez’s Facebook posts were part of a database by the Plain View Project that examined the accounts of 2,900 officers from…

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An Orlando police officer who posted an expletive-laden tirade on Facebook in 2017 will face the 80-hour suspension initially handed to him by the department, an arbitrator ruled last month. The ruling comes months after the arbitration hearing for the officer, Robert Schellhorn, in which he testified that an “emotional buildup” over recent police deaths led to the August 2017 social media rant, and asked that his discipline be…

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Police investigated the accused officer’s computer and found out he was not browsing inappropriate content while on duty. TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Two photographs were circulated on Facebook of a Twin Falls police officer surfing the web in a WinCo parking lot while on duty in his police car.  The original picture showed the officer viewing a video on YouTube.  In the second photograph the officer’s computer screen’s image…

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The “Police Lives Matter” Facebook page accumulated over 170,000 fans, with viral content that reached more Facebook users than some of the largest media outlets. The page purported to be run by U.S. police officers, with cops posting about the “first dayshift of my career with a K9” or being “brand new dad.” Other posts contained more generic pro-police messaging.  What these posts did not mention is that the…

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Dozens of first responders, detention officers, police, and enlisted military personnel joined or were added to Roll Call, a Facebook group set up by a notorious militia leader where administrators and members shared content promoting violence against Muslims, undocumented immigrants, and other groups. Chris Hill, a Marine veteran who leads the III% Security Force, attracted international media attention last year for a video depicting members shooting firearms interspersed with…

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Hartford police are investigating a social media post they believe was made by one of their own that disparaged residents and the area and called for an “air strike.” Patrol Officer Jay Szepanski has been reassigned to the booking division while an internal investigation is underway into a derogatory Facebook post he’s accused of making under an alias on Sept. 16, according to Lt. Paul Cicero. The writer of…

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ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis police officer is accused of misconduct by the department’s internal affairs division after he wrote a social media post about a particularly violent shift and allowed the local newspaper to publish part of it. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that officer Ryan Lynch’s post included a plea to state officials to support police officers. The Aug. 23 Facebook post detailed a shift during…

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The Tulsa Police terminated Officer Wayne Brown Thursday over posts made on social media. Screenshots of the Facebook posts made by the TPD rookie have been shared online hundreds of times. The person who shared them, voiced concern about Brown’s ability to police certain communities because of the nature of the posts. We reached out to the Tulsa Police Department and they sent us this statement: “Early yesterday morning…

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LAPORTE — LaPorte Police Chief Tom Owens said an error is to blame for a Wednesday morning post on his personal Facebook page that triggered accusations against him of racism and bias, as well as calls for his resignation. The shared post in question contained a photograph of a young woman handling a firearm along with the caption, “Here is your precious Muslim congresswoman at a Al’ Qaida training…

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Anne Arundel County police Capt. Jeffrey Silverman issued a written apology to the Caucus of African American Leaders after it filed a complaint to the department highlighting his “disparaging” social media comments about U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a black presidential candidate. Carl Snowden, convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders, said a person who wished to remain anonymous pointed him to Silverman’s Facebook posts, sending screenshots of his…

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