City police officer’s posts under investigation
Pittsburgh police announced Friday night that they have placed a police officer on administrative leave until further notice pending the outcome of an investigation after a citizen filed a complaint earlier this week on social media posts made by the officer.
On Tuesday, Morningside resident Jen Cieslak said she filed a complaint after accidentally stumbling across Pittsburgh police Sgt. George Kristoff’s Facebook page and several posts with negative comments about Black people and Black Lives Matter protesters, as well as shared posts that were flagged by Facebook as misinformation. Sgt. Kristoff made his Facebook page private the same night she notified police of the posts.
Ms. Cieslak, 37, shared with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Friday more than a dozen screenshots of Facebook posts that were allegedly made by Sgt. Kristoff. At least five of the posts shared on his page were flagged by Facebook as false information checked by independent fact checkers.
One of the posts about Black Lives Matter protesters said, “If you don’t want to get hit by a car, don’t protest in the middle of a highway. If you don’t want to be killed by police, don’t engage in illegal activities. If you’re scared of the coronavirus, stay home. If you don’t love America, leave it. It’s really not that difficult.”
Another Facebook post Sgt. Kristoff allegedly shared had a time stamp of Aug. 10 and was a photo of two Black children holding handguns with the caption, “And they wonder why their kids are getting shot.”
Ms. Cieslak said she came across the page while she looking at the Zone 5 police Facebook page. She said she has been trying to seek assistance from the Highland Park station regarding an ongoing harassment issue with a neighbor but felt as though officers weren’t taking her seriously. She said she checked their Facebook page to find another supervisor to contact when she saw that Sgt. Kristoff had liked the page, and she recognized his name.
“I remember his name because he yelled at me and hung up on me on the phone,” Ms. Cieslak said. When she clicked on his Facebook page and saw the posts, she said she “was in disbelief” and ended up taking screenshots of as many posts as she could.
Ms. Cieslak said she spoke to another officer who called to address an issue with her neighbor. When she asked him about Sgt. Kristoff’s Facebook posts, she said the officer threatened her with a lawsuit.
“He said that I need to watch myself, that Sgt. Kristoff could sue me in court for libel,” Ms. Cieslak said. “And I said, ‘For what? Is sharing somebody’s public posts on another public platform for the public to see illegal if I’m not putting any information in?’ He started backtracking and said that I misunderstood.”
Ms. Cieslak said she emailed screenshots of the posts to Zone 5 Sgt. Stephen Vinansky, police Chief Scott Schubert’s assistant and others.
In her email, Ms. Cieslak wrote:
“This police officer is spreading a lot of misinformation and inappropriate content. He has a huge platform and voice as he is a sgt. I would hate for the public to believe this misinformation from a public worker. We are seeking guidance right now and this should not be allowed. I would like this officer fully investigated and I would like to know the follow up.” Since her email, dated Aug. 18, Ms. Cieslak said none of the recipients have responded. She also filed a complaint to the Office of Municipal Investigations, which was created to “investigate citizen complaints of civil and/or criminal misconduct alleged against employees of the City of Pittsburgh,” according to a public safety press release.
In a written statement to the Post-Gazette on Friday, police spokesperson Cara Cruz confirmed that police are “aware of social media posts made on the personal Facebook page of one of its officers.”
Ms. Cruz also said the Office of Municipal Investigations is investigating the complaint.
When asked whether city police have a social media policy, Ms. Cruz did not provide an answer.
“He has not been involved at all with any of the recent protests,” Ms. Cruz said of Sgt. Kristoff. Earlier Friday, Ms. Cruz told the Post-Gazette he was still working, but she later sent an update with a news release that said he has been placed on administrative leave.