NYPD should make significant social media policy reforms, inspector general finds
NEW YORK -- A new inspector general's report criticizes the social media practices of some NYPD executives and called for significant policy reforms.
The report follows a May 2024 request from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
"The recent deployment of official NYPD social media accounts to aggressively target public officials and civilians in our city, use dog whistles that can lead to threats and violence, and convey inaccurate information, is dangerous, unethical and unprofessional. New Yorkers rely on agency officials to provide essential information, and these latest activities diverge from the department's core mission and responsibilities," Adams said in a statement when she requested the investigation. "This recent behavior undermines public confidence in the department at a time when public safety requires stronger trust, and sends a bad message to the rank-and-file officers of our city simply wanting to perform their basic duties."
Adams identified posts from @NYPDNews and @NYPDChiefOfPatrol on X, among others.
Posts dubbed unprofessional and unproductive
The Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD says the social media policies, which were last updated in December 2022, were deemed unprofessional and unproductive, operated without adequate supervision, and executives received no formal training on appropriate social media use.
"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. No aspect of the social media exchanges that DOI reviewed in this investigation served the public. While NYPD rightly has refrained from such exchanges since early May 2024, the Department should strengthen its social media policies, particularly with respect to oversight of executive posts, to ensure that all posts on the Department's social media accounts meet the NYPD's standards of courtesy and professionalism," DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber said.
"In light of NYPD's significance, power, and authority within the City, the Department must maintain a consistently respectful and courteous level of discourse in its official communications. It is inappropriate for NYPD to use its platform to target and demean journalists, elected officials, and other members of the public. The measures NYPD has taken to improve oversight and depersonalize interactions reflect steps in the right direction; however, consistent oversight is key. The advancement of NYPD's policy positions and missions in public statements should always be informative, accurate, and professional," OIG-NYPD Inspector General Jeanene Barrett said.
The DOI issued recommendations including a formal review and approval of the process for posting, as well as training staff on best social media practices, and making clear rules on appropriate content and language for official posts.
"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," an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement.
