Police Chief Accused Of Violating Social Media Policy With Foul Language
DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - Some officers are accusing Dallas Police Chief David Brown of violating the department's social media policy.
The Chief has apologized on Twitter for posting foul language. A message posted on his Twitter profile a few days ago includes language that some officers and police attorneys say he should be disciplined for using.
It reads, "I don't care for being called an (expletive) and (expletive) though by the Belo folks."
The message was part of an exchange between the Chief and a reporter with The Dallas Morning News. Brown was bringing up unflattering names he was allegedly called by another reporter several years ago.
But some say that doesn't make it okay. "Chief Brown is supposed to be a role model to us all and he apparently goes off the deep end when someone calls him a name it's just completely unacceptable," said Dallas attorney Chris Livingston, who has represented officers suspended for using bad language.
Livingston wants the Chief disciplined. He points to a City of Dallas directive that prohibits transmitting anything obscene or profane.
The police department's general orders also forbid using, "obscene or abusive language or offensive gestures in their communication with co-workers or members of the public."
"Officers have received days off on numerous occasions for using bad language and using bad language in the context of not just putting it out to the public but saying it in front of other officers," claimed Livingston.
Chief Brown almost immediately apologized on Twitter.
But using vulgarity to make his point was exposed to more than 5,000 followers, some of them identified as children.
A veteran Dallas police officer, who fears repercussions if they are identified, believes there's a double standard if no one holds the chief accountable.
"The fact that this was so public and so vulgar, what I am offended by is my chief using those words like I said publicly where kids could have heard him kids who look up to the chief of police of the City of Dallas," the officer said.
The person who could discipline the Chief is the city manager. Right now, that position is temporarily held by A.C. Gonzalez who declined comment, as has Chief Brown.
CBS 11 News also spoke with Bob Mong, Editor for the Dallas Morning News who this week sent an email to Brown saying he was "deeply disappointed" that the chief was still holding a grudge against the reporter who apologized.
Mong also encouraged the Chief to meet with his reporters to work out their differences.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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