NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea conceded Tuesday that it was a mistake to subpoena a Post reporter’s social media account in an attempt to unearth a department leak, but said more reporters could be served as “a last resort” — despite the mayor declaring last week that the NYPD “will not do that going forward.”
“I think we were wrong here,” Shea said in a press conference Wednesday morning at One Police Plaza. “I think there were probably mistakes made there, and we will look to correct it in terms of how we move forward.”
The police department issued the subpoena for Post Police Bureau Chief Tina Moore’s Twitter data on Dec. 9, 2019 — oddly citing a federal anti-terrorism law to justify the request.
The legal papers sought a wide range of account data for Moore’s account @Tinamoorereport between Oct. 9 and Oct. 14 — enough to pinpoint the reporter’s location, according to one expert.
The commissioner said the subpoena was tied to an internal probe of who in the department shared a gory crime scene photo to the media, but he was not aware of the order at the time.
“I think in the entirety of when you talk about freedom of press … I think that’s a dangerous slippery slope,” said Shea, adding, “I do appreciate the press … and the role it plays.”
Despite the admission of error by the NYPD, the commissioner didn’t rule out additional subpoenas as the department crackdown on internal leaks continues.
“In my opinion, it should be a last resort. There were other avenues that could have been taken,” Shea said.
“What I can’t have happen is a situation where you may have criminal investigation compromised by the information that is inappropriately out there. I can’t have family members learning about the death of a loved one via tweet.”
Last Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the subpoena should not have been issued and vowed it would not happen again.
“I said very clearly they should not have done it and they will not do it going forward,” de Blasio said.
The top brass at the NYPD has been trying to ferret out leakers since Shea took over the department in December — less than two weeks before Twitter was served with the subpoena.
The department recently issued a strict social media policy for cops and put out a video with Chief of Department Terence Monahan warning officers that sharing info with the press “will not be tolerated.”
But Shea defended cops’ instincts, saying he understands why investigators looked to Moore’s account.
“When you look at that situation, well, information came out here, so from an investigative standpoint, there is logic to where you start that investigation,” he said.
The NYPD previously said Moore was not the target of any investigation.
The top cop, however, left the door open for additional subpoenas as the department crackdown on internal leaks continues — but only as “a last resort.”
“What I can’t have happen is a situation where you may have criminal investigation compromised by the information that is inappropriately out there,” Shea said. “I can’t have family members learning about the death of a loved one via tweet.”
Additional reporting by Julia Marsh.