The NYPD’s use of social media is being investigated by NBC New York

The New York City Board of Supervisors has opened an investigation into allegations that the city’s police force improperly used its official social media accounts to attack officers and private citizens.

The city’s Department of Investigation confirmed the investigation in a statement Wednesday, saying it followed recent requests from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Legal Aid Society asking them to investigate the NYPD’s social media policies and practices.

Adams, a Democrat, cited reports from The Associated Press and others in her Friday letter that highlighted how the department and some of its top officials have adopted a more aggressive online presence in recent months and are using their accounts on the X platform, to counter critics.

In a post mentioned in the reports, Patrol Chief John Chell said that a Democratic city council member who criticized the NYPD for arresting pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University “hates our city.” In another post from February, Chell misidentified a judge in a criminal case and falsely accused her of unleashing a “robber” on the city streets.

“The recent use of official NYPD social media accounts to aggressively attack officers and civilians in our city, use dog whistles that can lead to threats and violence, and convey inaccurate information is dangerous, unethical and unprofessional,” said Adams in a statement Friday.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The Legal Aid Society, in its letter on Monday, supported Adam’s request and also accused police of using social media “unprofessionally and unethically” to discredit pro-Palestinian protesters at local colleges.

The legal aid group pointed to X posts by Chell and NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry after the department cleared campus encampments last week.

A post cited by the organization said that “a book about TERRORISM” had been found in Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall. It said it was among the items – including earplugs, helmets, goggles, knives and ropes – that were “not the tools of protesting students” but rather of “people working on something nefarious.” The title was actually one Non-fiction book on the subject published by Oxford University Press.

After receiving the two requests, “DOI began an investigation into relevant social media usage and sharing, as well as the city’s applicable policies,” spokeswoman Diane Struzzi said in a statement.

The Legal Aid Society had also asked for an investigation into the general police response to the university protests, but the Ministry of Investigation declined to comment on the request.

In February, the NYPD’s top spokesman defended the department’s social media tactics.

“We want to go on social media and address the misinformation that is out there,” Tarik Sheppard told the AP at the time. “Because if we don’t do that, it could damage the reputation of our police officers and the work that we do.”