Officer put on leave for post online about cases of rape

A Jonesboro police officer has been suspended without pay for 30 days after an internal investigation found that he had violated his department’s social media policy with an “insensitive” post, authorities said Tuesday.

According to a news release from the Jonesboro Police Department, a post from officer John Shipman’s personal Facebook account concerned “current media coverage of a national news event.”

NEA Report, an online news outlet based in northeast Arkansas, posted screenshots showing that Shipman asserted that of rape accusations “80 percent are false.” The comment made Thursday was in response to a post about Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony at a hearing where she said U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her, according to the outlet.

In another screenshot posted by NEA Report, Shipman wrote: “I’ve taken many reports. She’s lying.”

A complaint about Shipman’s post was made Friday, authorities said.

The Police Department said the internal investigation examined the five sexual assault reports Shipman had recorded in the past 10 years. Four of the cases were reported rapes and were eventually turned over to detectives to investigate, according to the release.

“Law enforcement employees bear the responsibility of maintaining their own conduct and the integrity of the government entity they represent,” Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott said in a statement. “They are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that does not bring discredit upon them.”

In addition to his suspension, Shipman will undergo “further training” to learn how to speak with sexual assault victims, the release said.