NYPD fires harassment czar over allegations of hateful social media posts

NYPD fires harassment czar over allegations of hateful social media posts

FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2015, file photo, a New York City police officer sits in a cruiser at a checkpoint surrounding Times Square during New Year's Eve celebrations in New York. The vast majority of complaints about New York City police officers' mistreatment of youths stemmed from encounters with black and Hispanic children, according to a new study by the city’s police watchdog agency. Nearly two-thirds of youth complaints to the Civilian Complaint Review Board involved children of color, the report says, including some “stopped for seemingly innocuous activities such as playing, high-fiving, running, carrying backpacks, and jaywalking." (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department’s former workplace harassment czar has been fired over allegations he posted hateful messages online. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea’s decision on Wednesday to fire Deputy Inspector James Kobel came about three weeks after Kobel submitted retirement paperwork in an attempt to avoid a departmental disciplinary proceeding. At an internal disciplinary trial last month, Kobel was found to have violated multiple department rules and regulations. Kobel did not attend the trial. A message seeking comment was left with Kobel’s union. Kobel was accused of posting attacks on Black and Jewish people, women, and members of the LGBTQ community on an anonymous message board.

Photo: FILE – In this Dec. 31, 2015, file photo, a New York City police officer sits in a cruiser at a checkpoint surrounding Times Square during New Year’s Eve celebrations in New York.  (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)