Chief: PD’s Facebook page removed amid ‘defaming’ posts

OLD SAYBROOK — This town watched the power of social media as a woman’s Facebook post alleging police here “aggressively” questioned her disabled brother went viral, drawing involvement of a Down syndrome advocacy group and bringing an apology to the family from the first selectman.

But as one social media profile gained attention, another disappeared: the Old Saybrook Police Department’s Facebook page was shut down midweek.

Chief of Police Michael Spera took the page offline because “individuals were making meanspirited, rude, defaming, and inappropriate comments to our citizens that had made positive comments months and sometimes a year ago about positive activities that the Department performed for our community,” he wrote to police commissioners in an email.

Hearst Connecticut Media obtained a copy of the email correspondence through a Freedom of Information request.

In his email to commissioners, Spera noted the most recent social media posts, some of which he said were not accurate.

“Over the past week our Agency and specific Depart

ment Members have been the subject of unwarranted, unprovoked, ill inspired, and defaming social media posts,” Spera wrote.

Spera did not return emails seeking comment on the Facebook issue, and First Selectman Carl Fortuna declined comment.

Two board members who responded to Spera’s note on the Facebook issue thanked the chief for letting them know about the change; one termed it social media again “run amuck,” the correspondence obtained from the town shows.