NYPD decision to fire its top discrimination investigator details his racist online rants

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NYPD decision to fire its top discrimination investigator details his racist online rants

The ex-commander of the NYPD unit that investigates discrimination complaints lied three separate times when questioned by the department about posting online racist screeds — some of which he wrote on a department-issued device while on vacation in Florida, newly released records show.

Using the moniker “Clouseau,” Deputy Inspector James Kobel, the commander of the Equal Employment Opportunity Division, made dozens of disturbing posts to the online cop message board known as “Law Enforcement Rant” from July 1, 2020 to Sept. 5, 2020.

Kobel used an NYPD-issued laptop and an iPad to make the hateful posts, and then repeatedly lied about posting the comments during three official department interviews, according to the NYPD’s written decision on his case.

The new details are revealed in the new NYPD trial decision database that debuted online last week after a long legal battle.

During one department interview, Kobel claimed he was “completely blown away by these posts” and insisted someone must have hacked his account, the decision shows.

“Where the source of these abhorrent posts was the commanding officer of EEOD (Equal Employment Opportunity Division), this shocking rhetoric is even more reprehensible,” wrote administrative law judge Jeff Adler, calling it a “betrayal” of Kobel’s oath, in his recommendation to fire Kobel, the new database reveals.

Adler’s decision details a number of the hateful posts. “Yes, the urban ghetto types. 25,000 years of evolution continues to elude these poor unfortunate creatures,” Kobel wrote at one point.

“If they can’t smoke it, drink it, f--- it or steal it, these savages destroy it,” he wrote another time.

In a discussion predicting the first homicide of 2020, Kobel wrote, “My bet is a gunshot wound in the 4-7 (47th precinct in the Bronx) over the last piece of jerk chicken in the buffet.”

In the posts, he mainly attacked Black people but also went after Russian New Yorkers, Hasidic Jews and Muslims, among others. He also attacked no fewer than 10 public figures, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (”filthy animal”), journalist Shepard Smith (”turd”), Barack Obama (”Muslim savage”), and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (”Twitching missing link”).

He was also found guilty of disclosing department business, including arrests and suspect information, the disciplinary history of another cop and a couple of transfers, the records show.

Kobel was promoted to commanding officer of the unit by Police Commissioner Dermot Shea on May 28, 2020.

Kobel’s posts were revealed in an investigation conducted by the City Council Committee on Oversight.

Kobel was charged with six violations of department rules, including lying to investigators, making racist comments and disclosing confidential NYPD

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