An Assessment of NYPD's Use of Social Media
Department of Investigation · report
At the request of City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, DOI's Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD reviewed NYPD's social media policies and posts made by NYPD executives on X between January 2022 and August 2024. OIG-NYPD found that certain posts by NYPD executive staff were unprofessional and violated Department courtesy policies, and that several NYPD practices do not comply with the Citywide Social Media Policy. NYPD stopped the discourteous exchanges in early May 2024 after public criticism. DOI issued six recommendations to strengthen oversight and policy.
- Released
- 2025-01-28
- Kind
- Investigation
Key findings
- Certain X posts by members of NYPD's executive staff on official City accounts were unprofessional and encouraged unproductive public discourse, violating Department policies on courtesy and civility, and raised questions about whether they were prohibited political activity by City employees, though DOI reached no conclusion on that issue. p. 4
- Several of NYPD's social media practices do not comply with the Citywide Social Media Policy that applies to all City agencies, including that some NYPD accounts are not registered with the Mayor's Office of Creative Communications and were created without that office's approval. p. 4
- NYPD's social media policy (dated December 2, 2022) has not been updated to include all requirements of the June 2023 Citywide Social Media Policy, and does not describe staff roles, the internal content approval process, or how complaints should be handled. p. 5
- NYPD's social media policy does not provide rules or guidance about what content and language is appropriate to post from an official Department account. p. 5
- NYPD executives with individual social media accounts operate them without sufficient oversight and outside the supervision of NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. p. 5
- NYPD ceased social media exchanges that used discourteous language and targeted particular individuals in early May 2024, following public criticism and Speaker Adams's request for a DOI investigation. p. 5
What DOI recommended
- NYPD should memorialize in writing an internal review and approval process for posts on executive accounts. p. 5
- NYPD should update all relevant Patrol Guide and Administrative Guide procedure sections to align with the Citywide Social Media Policy. p. 5
- NYPD should review the Citywide Social Media Policy and ensure it complies with all of its requirements. p. 5
- NYPD should update its social media use policy to include rules and guidance about appropriate content and language for posting on official Department accounts. p. 6
- NYPD should assign Digital Communications Officers to all social media accounts, including at the executive level, to ensure posts are consistent with citywide and department policy, and memorialize this in writing. p. 6
- NYPD should provide training to all staff using official agency social media on the Citywide Social Media Policy, the Department's policy, and best practices. p. 6
Entities in this report
- Police Department Subject
- Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD
- New York City Council
- The Legal Aid Society
- Conflicts of Interest Board
- Mayor's Office of Creative Communications
- New York Daily News
- Columbia University