NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A well-known police forum that had become known for its pernicious posts has been shut down after a high-ranking NYPD officer was found to be one of the users making "racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, and homophobic sentiments."
According to Proboards.com, the platform that hosts the forum, it was removed last month, citing that its terms of service says it can deny the use of service "for any reason or for no reason at all."
An early November report from the City Council's Committee on Oversight and Investigations Division identified Deputy Inspector James Francis Kobel, who was tasked with handling harassment complaints, as a user who went by "Clouseau" on the forum also known as "The Rant – LAW ENFORCEMENT RANT," where New York City police officers go to secretly complain about their jobs.
The division is overseen by Councilman Ritchie Torres and put together a 13-page draft report of its findings.
The report adds that Kobel, a 30-year police veteran, was responsible for hundreds of hateful posts against Blacks, Hasidic Jews, Puerto Ricans, and others.
Kobel denied that he had posted the racist messages and the profile was deleted.
"I am unfamiliar with any of these posts," he told the New York Times. "I'm unfamiliar with 'Clouseau.' I don't post on the Rant."
Kobel allegedly described the Bronx DA as "a gap-toothed wildebeest," President Obama as a "Muslim-savage" and Mayor Bill de Blasio's bi-racial son, Dante, as "brillohead."
Other officers were also victims of Kobel's insults, according to the report which said that the he called a pair of women officers "gutter sluts."
On Thursday, Kobel was relieved of his command and placed on modified assignment pending completion of the department inquiry.
"That is a drastic step, but we thought it was the appropriate step due to the nature of his given assignment as well as the allegations and what we have learned thus far," Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, said, adding that the comments posted by "Clouseau" were "utterly disgusting."
There are at least two other similar sites that remain live, including "Thee Rant refugees" on Risingstarpromtion.com and "Thee Rant" on Tapatalk.com.
