Social media posts by NYPD brass that attacked New York City elected officials and members of the media last year were “irresponsible and unprofessional” and failed to serve the public, the Department of Investigation said Tuesday.
The DOI found that the posts — largely by current Chief of Department John Chell and Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry — violated the city’s social media policies and weren’t properly vetted by the NYPD.
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said social media should be used to inform New Yorkers and “not as a means to ridicule those with whom they disagree.”
“No aspect of the social media exchanges that DOI reviewed in this investigation served the public,” Strauber said in a statement Tuesday.
DOI’s review did not come to a conclusion on whether the posts also violated the city’s ban on using government resources for political activity.
The review was sparked by a May 3 complaint from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who objected to a number of posts by Chell and Daughtry during Mayor Adams’ tenure. Speaker Adams called the posts “troubling, intimidating and dangerous.”
In May, for example, Chell attacked City Council Member Tiffany Caban on social media after Caban critiqued the police raids on protesters at Columbia University and City College.
“I started to read this garbage and quickly realized this is coming from a person who hates our city and certainly does not represent the great people of NYC,” Chell wrote.
The post was deleted and then Chell wrote a second message re-posting it. “Like I said it was an accident … I’m back!!!!”
In April, Chell and Daughtry called a Daily News columnist “deceitful” and a “gadfly.” Another Daily News reporter was accused by Chell of being “irresponsible” while attempting to “get clicks.”
Since then, posts by Chell and Daughtry have become far more muted, focusing on things like arrests and recruiting. Chell did create a personal twitter page in October, but has posted just six times on that, most recently on Nov. 29.
On Jan. 1, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch promoted Chell to Chief of Department after Jeffrey Maddrey resigned in the midst of an investigation into an alleged affair with a female lieutenant who made more than $200,000 in overtime in fiscal 2024.
In a statement a police spokesperson said, “We appreciate DOI’s comprehensive report. As the report notes, the NYPD has already made significant changes to its social media practices. We look forward to reviewing the report and recommendations.”