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NYPD Subpoenaed Reporter's Twitter Account, Citing Patriot Act
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 14, 2020
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Kevin Hagen/AP/Shutterstock
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 14, 2020
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Dermot Shea won't say if he voted for Trump — but the new police commissioner seems to be following the lead of the press-hating commander in chief.
Within a week of Shea taking over as the city's top cop, the NYPD reportedly issued a subpoena to Twitter requesting access to the account of NY Post police bureau chief Tina Moore. The Post published a copy of the subpoena on Thursday, which the NYPD acknowledged filing in an attempt to root out leaks in their own department.
They withdrew the subpoena after being contacted by the Post's lawyers this week.
Bizarrely, the NYPD cites the Patriot Act — the broad anti-terrorism law passed following 9/11 — as grounds for their request. The document seeks all email addresses, IP addresses and other devices connected to Moore's Twitter account.
Forensics experts told the tabloid that investigators were likely trying to "geo-locate" Moore's whereabouts during a specific time, as well as obtain her cell phone provider, in order to issue more subpoenas and get her phone records.
The subpoena appears focused on crime scene photos that Moore received in early October, which showed the grisly aftermath of a shoot-out during a Brooklyn dice game.
“We are conducting an investigation of a person who leaked crime scene photos,” the NYPD said in a statement. “Tina Moore was never the focus of our investigation.”
Since taking the helm, Shea has overseen a broader effort to contain unauthorized information coming out of the 55,000-person department. On Monday, the NYPD suspended two cops who shared video of a shooting inside a Bronx police station. And the department's patrol guide was recently amended to note that officers can face discipline if police footage leaks.
The NYPD was also criticized this week for arresting a credentialed photojournalist as he was trying to document an arrest in Chinatown.
On Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a scathing statement, likening the NYPD's treatment of Moore to the actions of authoritarian countries.
“Using the Patriot Act to subpoena a journalist’s social media data is not only a gross overstep by the New York Police Department, it is reminiscent of how countries without democratic safeguards use anti-terrorism laws to dampen or retaliate against critical journalism,” said CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney Radsch.
“Police should respect reporters’ right to keep source information private, rather than subpoenaing tech companies to gain information on journalists and their sources and methods.”
Inquiries to the Mayor's Office were not immediately returned.
Tagged
nypd
dermot shea
police misconduct
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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