NYPD Fires Ex-Chief Of Workplace Discrimination Office For Racist Comments From Fake Id

The New York Police Department on Wednesday fired a high-ranking official following an internal investigation, which concluded that he wrote racist posts on an online message board.

Internal affairs investigators determined that Deputy Inspector James F. Kobel posted racist and sexist messages online under the pen name “Clouseau," according to The New York Times. He was found guilty of six charges, including lying to investigators and posting racist remarks.

Other charges included wrongfully divulging department information on the message board and improperly using police equipment.

The New York Times quoted officials as saying that Kobel filed for retirement last month, but the Police Department proceeded with a disciplinary hearing against him on Jan. 26.

Kobel, who was the commanding officer of the police department's Equal Employment Opportunity Division, was relieved of his command and placed on modified duty after the inquiry began in November. He was suspended in January.

The Equal Employment Opportunity office of the NYPD is responsible for investigating employment and harassment claims.

In a statement, police commissioner Dermot F. Shea said that Kobel’s “misconduct was so egregious and so contradicts the values of this department that ultimate accountability was essential."

Last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio had said if Kobel was found guilty, he should be terminated immediately. “This is absolutely disgusting and goes against everything we’ve done to build a more inclusive police department.”

Kobel had denied being “Clouseau” when the posts were discovered. “Clouseau” used racist nicknames to refer to multiple Black public figures, including former President Barack Obama and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, according to The Associated Press.

The messages by "Clouseau" were linked to Kobel after City Council investigators matched information in them to publicly available details about him, the AP report added.

Last month, a police chief and patrolman in Georgia were removed from their positions after body camera footage of the two making racist comments was posted online. The video, recorded outside the police department as the two were going to patrol a Black Lives Matter rally in Hamilton, showed the two discussing slavery and making racist comments about Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.