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Residents criticize police social-media post and press council on dispensary enforcement
Summary
At the Jan. 20 Brooklawn council meeting, residents urged the mayor and police chief to explain a borough police Facebook post selling an image the speakers called derogatory; commenters also pressed officials on local marijuana dispensaries and whether officers are trained to investigate marijuana-impaired driving.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the Jan. 20 Brooklawn Borough Council meeting to challenge the borough police department over a social-media post and to raise questions about enforcement of marijuana-related offenses.
Kevin Moran, who supplied his address for the record, told the council he was "offended" by a post advertising T-shirts and hoodies that he said depicted "negative stereotypical cultural behavior" toward Irish people and asked why the department would allow that on a borough page. "It blows my mind," Moran said. "Who does that stop with? Who is responsible and accountable for that being on the Brooklyn PD website?" He added, "I'm going to replay my time to sell that horseshit here is an atrocity." (footage/transcript excerpt: Moran's remarks during public comment.)
Police Chief responded directly, saying the department "never intended to reinforce stereotypes or offend anyone" and that "the buck certainly stopped with me." The chief said he had seen the post but did not view it as derogatory and that he would take responsibility and follow up, telling Moran he would get an answer. "I'll take responsibility on that," the chief said.
Moran and other commenters also raised enforcement concerns tied to a recent increase in local marijuana dispensaries, asking whether borough officers have Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training to investigate suspected cannabis-impaired driving. Moran said training a DRE can cost "about 15 to 20 grand" and take six months to a year to reach proficiency; he asked how many DRE-trained officers the borough had. The chief acknowledged that few county officers hold DRE certification, outlined the department's current training progression (field sobriety and A-RIDE courses), and said obtaining DRE training is a stated priority: "It is an objective of mine especially with marijuana facilities coming along. So it's a top priority for me," he said.
Why it matters: Residents framed the social-media post not only as a reputational issue but as a trust concern, asking who oversees department messaging and how cultural sensitivity is reviewed. They also tied community safety questions to the practical matter of whether local law enforcement has specialized training to investigate marijuana-impaired driving.
What the borough will do next: The chief pledged to look into the social-media post and provide an answer to Moran. On training, the chief said the department will pursue additional specialty training for officers as resources and course availability permit.
Sources: Public-comment exchanges and chief's remarks at the Jan. 20 council meeting (start of related comments: SEG 167; chief response and training remarks: SEG 1280–SEG 1353).
