Officer on leave pending investigation into Facebook posts

[js85]

I'm not yet allowed to post links, so I'll just have to copy and paste the story here.

This is from my hometown. What do you think?

A Facebook page post apparently created by an Elgin police officer saying the Ferguson, Mo., police officer who shot and killed a young man last month “did society a favor†has left the officer on administrative leave pending an investigation.
That and other potentially racially-charged posts on Officer Jason Lentz’s personal Facebook page are believed to violate the Police Department’s social media guidelines, officials said. Lentz is the first Elgin officer put on administrative leave relating to comments on a social media site, officials said.
Lentz was officially placed on administrative leave Aug. 26 after another Elgin officer brought the posts to command staff’s attention.
The Aug. 15 Facebook post included a link to a Fox News video entitled “Police Released surveillance footage allegedly showing Michael Brown stealing cigars befor[e].†When posting that link, Lentz added “Hmmm … Innocent victim my ass. Did society a favor†according to a screen capture included in the case file and received through a Freedom of Information Act request by The Courier-News.
The first supervisor asked Lentz to remove the post, documents indicate. Instead, Lentz shortened his caption to “Hmmm…†but did not remove the post as he was instructed to, the reports state.
The administrative leave marks the fourth time that Lentz, a 17-year department veteran, has had his police powers stripped as a in an official action, according to information received through the FOIA request.
Lentz has served from one- to three-day suspensions in the past, including a June suspension for previous posts to Facebook and other concerns, according to information provided by the city of Elgin and the Elgin Police Department.
Unlike a suspension, administrative leave removes the officer from work while still collecting a paycheck. Administrative leave allows the department to fully investigate claims, officials said.
The investigation is in line with the department’s social media policy. That policy, states that officers are prohibited from making comments that would discredit the department, the city or themselves, said Deputy Chief of Police Bill Wolf.
“They need to ensure that they have the trust of the public,†Wolf added.
The investigation is expected to take a few weeks. Lentz is allowed both a union representative and an attorney to represent him during the process. Determinations following that investigation can include termination of employment.
A call to the union president was not immediately returned.
“While we will wait until the investigation is complete to formally comment, we will say that upon initial review, comments were made that run contrary to what we as a police department believe†Chief of Police Jeff Swoboda said in a prepared statement.
“I thought it was in the best interest of the Police Department to place Officer Lentz on administrative leave until he could explain his comments.â€
Why administrative leave?
When placed on administrative leave, officers are relieved of their police powers, and are on paid leave until an investigation is completed, Elgin police officials said.
Administrative leave is reserved for the most serious allegations against a city employee. “This shows the seriousness for which it was taken by the police department and command staff,†said City Manager Sean Stegall.
The Aug. 15 post was not the only Facebook post that concerned police command. A police commander, using the Facebook page of another officer, perused Lentz’s page to determine if other posts rose to a level of concern, the file states. Many did.
On Aug. 4, 2013, Lentz wrote a three-paragraph post regarding his thoughts on political correctness.
“In order to maintain some sense of sanity and security I am going to post this warning to all. I do not believe in political correctness. I believe that the state of this nation is due to everyone being overly PC. What happened to having thick skin?†the post begins.
An Aug. 2013 post berated police agencies for canceling a training session focused on Islam.
“… A police training class is cancelled because of protests from a Muslim civil liberties group. The class title ‘Islamic Awareness as a Counter-Terrorist Strategy.’ Hmmm …another way to thwart law enforcement efforts from learning about threats to our cities and nation,†the post states.
Another post in the past year was a photo of a parent letter to a school, indicating that a child would not attend school on Veterans Day until students attend school on Martin Luther King Day. Lentz remarked “Hell Yeah!!! I think next year I’ll keep the kids home.â€
In another Ferguson-related post, on Aug. 17, Lentz posted a photo of Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson standing with a young black man, both of whom are making an “OK†sign with their hands. “He is also in the Chicago Tribune hugging protesters. Just awesome … appears to be the enemy within,†Lentz wrote. According to the Washington Post, the “OK†sign signifies the Kappa Alpha Psi, a black fraternity Johnson was a member of in college.
A total of 11 Facebook posts from the last year were included in the case file.
Previous discipline
Lentz’ previous suspensions — in which he was removed from duty for a set number of days without pay — occurred in 2001, 2012 and June.
In the 2001 incident, Lentz and four other officers were disciplined for disparaging comments made about a supervisor while using the Police Department’s in-car computer system. That led to an three-day suspension for Lentz. Other officers received various suspensions for that incident as well.
In 2012, he was given a one-day suspension for refusing to appear as a witness in court. In that case, Lentz told a supervisor and an assistant Kane County states attorney that as he was set to fly out for vacation the day he was needed in court, he would not attend.
His supervisor at the time assured the State’s Attorney’s office that Lentz would be there, but Lentz did not appear, his discipline files states. Had the defense attorney in that case not stipulated to Lentz’s testimony, the states attorney said in an email, the suspect may not have been convicted for the 2010 rape and beating of a 74-year-old Elgin woman.
Also considered in the 2012 suspension was an inappropriate email Lentz sent via his personal cell phone to the entire Police Department, records state.
Then, in March, Lentz is accused of sending an email on the city system with a message that included profanity, and posting an inappropriate message on his Facebook page “indicating the fabrication of police calls for service,†and participating in a messaging conversation on the city’s squad computers referencing the fabrication of police calls.
Lentz’s file also includes written reprimands for behavior while on duty and other investigations that were later dropped for lack of evidence.
In addition to the suspensions and written reprimands, Lentz’s personel file also includes 56 letters of appreciation. Those “letters of appreciation†can come from either the public or within the department, Wolf said.

 

[DancingLady]

Hmm, while I do support free speech, I also think that people in certain professions, such as law enforcement, fire department, ect do need to behave responsibly on social media. They represent their profession to everyone who knows what their job is, and they need to behave accordingly, otherwise their actions on the internet may just fuel fear and distrust where it is needed so badly.

 

[Profit5500]

I so hope that this officer learned that you cannot go around and make rants on social media pages like Facebook. I would not have been giving this officer his job back after the first three times he screwed up. He needs to be fired end of story.

 

[helaofthenorns]

This is one of the many reasons why people should be more conscious of the things that they post on their social media accounts. For instance, I work for a government agency here in the Philippines. Thus, I refrain from posting my own thoughts online unless it is really important.

 

[GemmaRowlands]

I think that social networking presents a number of worrying problems for people in many professions, and this is the main reason that I don't use my account for anything other than sending private messages to friends and family members on their birthdays. Nothing that I say is made public, nobody can see anything that is written on my wall other than those I have added as friends, and I make sure that the people who I do add are definitely friends before I do it. It is a shame that people's jobs are put at risk, but most people learn eventually that social networking simply isn't worth the hassle, and it's a much better idea to just keep your opinions to yourself!

 

[Rainman]

I don't see the point in conducting any 'investigations' if the police officer actually posted the offensive comment on FB. What's there to investigate? If his FB account was hacked or something? This is just propaganda being used by police to to make it appear like they're addressing the issues which had been raised. The Ferguson police department may run around suspending police officers but that won't help. What they need is REFORM. Just that. Telling the media that they've changed overnight doesn't cut it for me.

 

[Peninha]

It's a complex situation, on one side it's our private life, but do we have the right to post offensive comments to our employer? What you say also makes sense Rainman...

 

[js85]

I'm conflicted too. I think what's personal should stay personal and away from the job. However, when you're threatening things like his posts were (some of them made racial comments and how he wouldn't resist pulling the trigger to "plunge" someone down the toilet) were a warning for what he could do while on the job. I think you should be respectful to your social position and know where there's a line.

 

[AlexF15]

This sounds like it's personal to me, I honestly don't believe the cops should be getting involved. It's what ever they want to do, if they see it as a real serious situation, then by all means, they should investigate,.

 

[LuckyGirl08]

I do not think that this officer should be on administration leave and getting paid because of his actions. I think that the Police Department should have suspended him or fired him. As stated above, in the article, this is not the officer's first time doing things like this. For him to say,"Did society a favor" is just so low down of a person. The child may have done something but he did not deserve to be killed by police officers. The family of the child should sue the officer for his racist comments against their deceased son.

 

[stevesxs9]

The problem is what's in the heart will eventually come out. And regardless of what profession someone is in, and the standard they're held to, its not enough to deter them from expressing their true feelings. You have to have a genuine fear of what you could lose, in order to display the self discipline it takes to stay away from controversy of any kind.