Deputy Inspector James F. Kobel, who served as the head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Division for the NYPD, is accused of posting racist messages on an online chat board under the alias, Clouseau.
What We Know:
- The high-ranking police official is under investigation by city commission officials over racist, misogynistic, and overall discriminatory posts on the online message board, The Rant. The website is commonly utilized among New York police officers to “secretly” post complaints about their jobs.
- Clouseau, an alias Inspector Kobel used, is thought to be inspired by the fictional Inspector Jacques Clouseau from the Pink Panther movies. The New York Times reports that the user of the account posted racist messages attacking Black people, Puerto Ricans, Hasidic Jews, and even called former President Barack Obama a “muslim savage”.
- Ironically, Inspector Kobel was also the leader of the anti-workplace harassment for the NYPD. He has now been relieved of his duties while the investigation continues. Kobel denies responsibility for the messages, claiming that he was likely framed by a disgruntled individual who he had previously investigated for internal harassment.
- The city council’s investigation department, overseen by Councilman Ritchie Torres, has been on this case for a few months, since he decided to look into the website after reading about it in New York Magazine. Torres, who is an openly gay, Black-Latino man, noticed Clouseau’s hateful posts among comments with very specific information about the user.
- Inspector Kobel posted many messages on The Rant revealing several life events and information that seamlessly connect him to Clouseau. These details include the date of his mother’s death, the date of his engagement, and posts about career achievements that included misogynistic statements about his then-boss. Notably, investigators found an email from The Rant on his personal computer, acknowledging that the account was linked to Clouseau.
Despite all the evidence accumulated against Kobel, he continues to deny his connection to Clouseau, stating, “despite my denial, it will likely end my career”. Seeking empathy, Kobel asks “Where do I go to get my reputation back?”
