James Francis Kobel has been suspended without pay and is now the subject of an internal disciplinary process after a string of racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic posts, the NYPD confirmed. A high-ranking official with the New York Police Department has been suspended without pay and is now the subject of an internal disciplinary process after a string of racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic posts, the NYPD confirmed. Late last year, an investigation by the City Council connected Deputy Inspector James Francis Kobel to a user under the name “Clouseau.” Under that identity, he routinely posted offensive messages on a public law enforcement message board attacking Black people, Muslims, the Hasidic Jewish community and others with extremely derogatory language, according to a draft report from the New York City Council Oversight and Investigations Division. Kobel was the commanding officer of the police department’s Office of Equal Employment and Opportunity, which is responsible for investigating employment and harassment claims. In November, he was relieved of his command and placed on modified duty after the City Council investigation but will now face a 30-day suspension without pay, the department said. He has also filed for retirement from the police force, the NYPD confirmed to CNN. “Deputy Inspector Kobel has served the City of New York and the NYPD honorably for nearly 29 years,” Chris Monahan, President of the Captains Endowment Association said in a statement. “Given the current political climate and anti-police sentiment, DI Kobel did not see it as possible to get a fair administrative trial and decided to avail himself of the opportunity to file for retirement.” Even if he goes through the disciplinary process and is dismissed, Kobel can still be eligible for his pension benefits, according to the NYPD.
via cnn: An NYPD official is suspended without pay after being connected to racists posts on a message board