Several Democratic New York City councilmembers have sponsored a bill introduced in September that would significantly restrict what New York Police Department officials can post on social media.
The legislation, "Establishing rules of decorum for posting on official social media accounts," was proposed by Councilwoman Nantasha Williams (D) and has collected seven co-sponsors, including Democratic councilmembers Gale Brewer, Lincoln Restler, Shahana Hanif, Althea Stevens, Alexa Avilés, Shekar Krishnan, and Christopher Marte.
'The far left is not happy enough tying the hands of our police officers. Now they are trying to silence them too.'
Williams' bill seeks to require the city to "promulgate rules establishing minimum standards relating to decorum that all agencies must follow in posting on official social media accounts."
The posts cannot "insult, intimidate, or harass the public and shall not prohibit the posting of statistical or factual information." The bill's "minimum" standards declare that officials cannot post anything "attributing negative characteristics or traits to particular persons or to groups of persons," "using language that is intended to incite violence," and "using language that is intended to intimidate."
Williams' legislation also mandates that the city establish a complaint-reporting mechanism for potential violations of these standards. Additionally, the city would be required to launch efforts to educate the public about the new standards and its reporting system.
The bill carves out exceptions to official social media accounts of elected officials and accounts associated with an online alias.
Williams wrote to fellow councilmembers in an email, "The need for this legislation has become increasingly evident, most recently highlighted by the actions of NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell."
"This legislation is a proactive step toward ensuring that our social media platforms are used to inform and engage the public, not for personal attacks or politically motivated behavior," she added.
Some NYPD officials, including Chell, have used their social media accounts to push back on leftist politicians' anti-cop agenda.
In May, Chell torched Councilmember Tiffany Cabán (D) for calling the department's response to the Columbia University pro-Hamas protests "a colossal disgrace," "a horrifying affront to democracy in free speech," and "an abject failure of public safety."
Chell responded to Cabán's statement, calling it "garbage" and noting that it "is coming from a person who hates our city and certainly does not represent the great people of NYC."
"Last night's criminal conduct by entitled non accountable students and the support they receive from Councilmember Tiffany Caban is a colossal disgrace," Chell fired back at the councilmember. "A horrifying affront to democracy and proper behavior from people who are not accountable for their behavior. This was an abject failure of how civilized people are expected to behave in society while continually acting like a perpetual victim."
Chell's statement prompted the Department of Investigation to launch a probe at the request of Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D) and the Legal Aid Society.
"These posts can often convey inaccurate or misleading information and could potentially incite threats of violence," Adams claimed. "This conduct is dangerous, unethical, unprofessional because included in the department's mission is to preserve peace, protect the people and reduce fear at the preliminary budget."
In addition to Chell's social media posts, the department came under fire after publishing its first "NYPD: Most Wanted" video in March. The two-minute, action-packed clip showed officers taking down "real-life individuals facing criminal charges."
According to NYPD spokesperson Tarik Sheppard, the department created the video and others like it to "push back on the misinformation that's out there."
"Because if we don't, it could cause damage to the reputation of our cops and the work that we're doing," Sheppard told the Associated Press.
Councilman Robert Holden (D) pushed back against Williams' proposed bill, stating, "The far left is not happy enough tying the hands of our police officers."
"Now they are trying to silence them too. When will this lunacy stop?" Holden asked.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R) said, "When the City Council starts legislating what public agencies can and can't say, that's not governance — that's censorship."
"This isn't just wrong; it's un-American. Forcing agencies to simply toe the party line and follow a script or face legal retribution is authoritarianism, plain and simple, and it flies in the face of everything that our Constitution and the First Amendment stands for," Ariola added.
Last month, NYPD Interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon announced a plan to enact a "one voice" policy within the department, warning officials, "There's only one voice in this department, and that's me."
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment from the New York Post.
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