Chicago police detective faces firing over 'hundreds' of racist, transphobic social media posts
Det. Shawn Popow has been on administrative duty since November after COPA opened an investigation into his postings on X.
CHICAGO -- A veteran Chicago police detective is facing dismissal over hundreds of offensive social media posts that disparaged Blacks, Muslims, immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
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Shawn Popow, who has been on the force for 20 years, posted the offensive comments and images on his Twitter and Facebook accounts from 2018 until he was informed that the Civilian Office of Police Accountability was reviewing his online activity, according to a report by COPA.
The oversight agency has recommended that Popow be fired, and a letter to the oversight agency from CPD Supt. Larry Snelling indicated he would move to terminate Popow.
"Det. Popow's flagrant disregard for CPD policies, as well as the nature of the posts and the frequency with which he posted them, all suggest he was expressing his true views," the COPA report states.
"Det. Popow's posts disparage the same protected classes he took an oath to protect and serve, including African Americans, migrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ+ community and people who are disabled. Through his use of social media, Det. Popow has demonstrated that he is unable to treat all Chicago citizens with fairness and equity."
The People's Fabric and Jinx Press, independent news outlets based in Chicago, first reported on Popow's social media posts and the recommendation to fire him.
A CPD spokesman said Popow was stripped of his police powers at the start of the investigation in November and he remains on administrative duty. No charges had been filed with the Police Board as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank-and-file officers and detectives, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In its 36-page report, COPA said Popow made "hundreds" of posts under the screen name "SüdlichePolizei" and under @SheepdogCPD on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter. The investigation was opened after the author of a website that covers politics and policing on the city's Northwest Side sent a complaint to COPA, according to the report.
Popow said "südlche polizei" translates to "southern police" in German, and that he chose the name because he has German ancestry and worked on the South Side. "Sheep dog," Popow said, is a common nickname for police officers.
Popow's Facebook account was under the name "Shaun Papow." Popow told COPA he deleted the accounts in 2023, and did not recall if his posts were visible to the public.
The report includes screenshots of about 20 offensive X posts, including an image Popow admitted creating that showed a Black man in a coffin with the text: "THAT FACE YOU MAKE WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT 'STOP RESISTING' MEANS."
Popow said the meme was "intended to point out the potentially fatal consequences of not obeying lawful police orders," according to COPA.
In another X post, Popow featured a picture of a tent encampment and commented: "I wonder if the black citizens of Chicago realize they are being pushed aside by the Democrats in order to appear as saviors to the illegals 'migrants'. Thus securing a voting body for GENERATIONS."
Popow said the post reflected a conspiracy theory. Asked if he believed in it, he said, "Maybe," according to COPA.
Other posts included a still frame from the movie "American History X" showing a man with a swastika tattoo stomping on the head of a Black man; and the image of a transgender man who had been killed by police in Nashville, listing "was/were" as the man's pronouns.
The report stated that when interviewed by COPA investigators, Popow denied any racist or other bigoted beliefs, and claimed he did not recall making some of the posts because of memory problems related to a medical condition.
Popow admitted to COPA that no one else had access to his accounts, and while some posts were unfamiliar to him, he was able to explain what he thought the meaning of each post was, COPA said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire - Copyright Chicago Sun-Times 2024.)
