4 Arrested After Facebook Posts That Threatened Cops, One Urged Killing White Officers
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Detroit police have arrested four men after Facebook postings that the city's police chief says represent threats against officers.
One of the men is accused of urging people to kill white officers according to The Detroit News.
Chief James Craig says Sunday the department's counter-terrorism unit saw that posting while monitoring social media. He says "while it's been established that hate speech is protected by the First Amendment, we're talking about people specifically saying on Facebook they want to kill white police officers."
Police say two other posts about shooting officers were scrutinized. Craig says two of the men were released and two were jailed on unrelated warrants.
The arrests follow the fatal shooting of five officers in Dallas and a heightened sense of friction between police and the public in some communities following police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge and Minnesota. Craig has said his officers are on alert after the shootings.
Meanwhile, Craig said he plans to talk Monday about an online comment allegedly made by a DPD officer, Det. Nate Weekely, who reportedly posted a profanity-laced comment last week about Black Lives Matter supporters. He referred to them as "terrorists."
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